


Music of the Heart

by Girl_in_blue_fic



Category: Trolls (2016), Trolls World Tour (2020), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:00:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 55,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23729419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girl_in_blue_fic/pseuds/Girl_in_blue_fic
Summary: After destroying the Strings during the World Tour, Poppy realizes something is changing within her. With an excuse to have a weekend off, she takes Branch to a cabin in the mountains to investigate exactly what's happening... meanwhile, Branch is struggling to take their relationship to the next level. Broppy!
Relationships: Branch & Poppy (Trolls), Branch/Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 138
Kudos: 206
Collections: Best Broppy, Top Shelf Broppy





	1. Poppy's Birthday

"Popcorn! A pool party isn't a birthday party unless you're twelve years old!" Barb held the invitation in front of her hands. Her pink friend stood right in front of her with a big smile, looking very excited to have her first party with all tribes united. "This thing isn't going to have a glitter explosion or anything, right?" Suddenly feeling threatened by the scrapbook-card, Barb put it in a safe-length from her face.

"So, will you come?" Poppy asked, holding her hands together and tapping her feet on the ground as if in a brisk stationary run.

"I agree to go to your birthday party IF afterwards you let ME give you a grown up after party!"

"Two birthday parties on the same day! Of course!" Poppy squealed and hugged her friend, making Barb very uncomfortable with all the affection. "Oh, I have so much to do! I need cupcakes and pies and - you guys like cheese, right? - I'll have the best nachos in the world, I promise!" The pink queen went on blabbing about the arrangements and left the Hard Rockers Mobile where Barb had been raging and exploring the length of Misty Meadows in the past hours. The fish-mobile unzipped its mouth and Poppy jumped outside, going straight to find Smidge. They had a lot of things to do to show rock trolls how amazing a birthday party could be!

Usually Poppy's birthday was when she partied and felt good with her friends the whole day. But as soon she woke up the next morning, she realized it wasn't going to be an usual birthday because Branch wasn't there. She didn't send him an invitation hoping that maybe, now that they had confessed their feelings, he wouldn't need one to remember. Apparently she was wrong. He wasn't there when she woke up, he wasn't there when she had her breakfast and with a heavy heart she didn't see him with the Snack Pack when they popped out of nowhere with a cake and a birthday song.

The pool party was fantastic, though. Music was loud, they played marco-troll-o, they hugged, they chatted and it was lovely having the day off her queen duties. Barb showed up, finding it fun to swim around - cannonball was her new favorite thing. Some funk trolls girls showed up as well, Bliss Marina, the magenta mermaid troll, spent most of the afternoon teaching the finless trolls how to wave their arms properly to speed up underwater.

Poppy made sure everything was perfect. The food was placed in a pink tent, so it was protected from the sun. Rock trolls were mostly eating cheese pies and nachos, which she prepared three different spicy types to go with them. Since it was Tuesday, she also prepared some Tacos. The dessert section, by the way, was even bigger: cotton-candy, caramels, lollipops, strawberry pies, fondue, chocolate, gum drops, ice-cream with sprinkles... there was a little of everything so everybody would be happy.

When Poppy finally refilled the last stoutberry juice's cup of the last hungry trolling, she decided to lay down and enjoy her day a little, she was hoping for a tan, anyway. Just then, Smidge got the microphone from DJ Suki and announced she was engaged to Milton Moss to everybody's surprise. They were so different, yet they matched perfectly. Poppy hugged her friend, screaming in excitement.

Biggie was the one to notice that Poppy was pulling up a happy façade; she kept looking towards the pool's entrance, searching for Branch over and over again. He nudged Guy, who nudged Cooper and soon as the second birthday song was over, the three friends set off to find the source of the Queen's distress.

When they left, Barb approached Poppy, tying her black robe around her waist.

"You know what, pipsqueak? I think that boy of yours missing the party is just very convenient."

"Branch is the head of our security." Poppy tried to act as if she didn't care, which nobody bought. "He probably just got a predator and is out there trying to set it free in a secluded area."

"I say we take your head out of boys today." Barb continued, getting raised eyebrows from the fashion twins. "No offence, the pool party was smashing, but you agreed to let me take you to a real party."

"Wooo, I have an idea. King Trollex is featuring in this club tonight at Volcano Rock City." Bliss Marina got in the middle of the conversation, making Barb cross her arms in agreement.

"Wait, Techno and Rock trolls are getting friendly?" Poppy asked, feeling like bursting with happiness. She totally wanted to know more about that!

"The whole point of celebrating our differences was to get to know each other and get more inspired, right?" Bliss said, uniting her fins in excitement.

"Besides," Barb grinned, looking at Smidge, "Someone deserves a bachelorette party."

"Ohhhh I'm in!" Smidge jumped, pushing herself up with her hair. "And Poppy it's your 25th birthday, a quarter of a century, I'm not done celebrating it!"

Poppy didn't feel comfortable going all the way to a club to party, especially now that Branch hadn't showed up, she was really worried about him. What if he had gotten hurt? As if sensing her distress, Smidge offered quick help. She sent a baby puffalo to find Biggie with a note where she wrote down the address of the club and wrote with capital letters: get Branch to kiss Poppy or I will find someone to do the job! TONIGHT! Of course, Poppy didn't know about the entirety of the note.

Indeed, Smidge was distressed about Poppy and Branch's relationship. It was unnerving seeing how they danced around each other even after they confessed their feelings. Branch was way too introverted to make a first move, and Poppy was dying to get her first kiss, but she wouldn't step forward because she didn't want to scare him off! Or maybe, she was shy about it as well, Smidge was still confused about the whole shy confession the queen made out there in the Volcano Stage a few weeks before. Whatever it was, She would end it tonight. Gosh even she and Milton had been faster than that!

A club party was something that Poppy usually avoided. It reminded Nova Swift Pop Up Party, but concealed in a room with loud music reverberating through walls and ceiling. Poppy was a much more open wide space partying kind of girl; where she could play with fireworks and breathe the cool air, but she had agreed to go, it was her birthday after all.

At the party, by the way, everybody knew about her birthday, which made her think about Branch's absence even more. The festivities were on the climb, the music was great, Poppy had to admit that techno trolls were good at building up a vibe.

"I can't believe you're hosting a techno party!" Poppy said loudly at Barb's ears.

"Diplomacy, right?" Barb replied, giving her a cup with a transparent drink. "Now let's get this party started!"

It was in a crowd whooping and cheering that Branch made his frantic entrance, looking for a sign of pink in the dark room. Guy Diamond was so emotional when he saw the immensity of the party that he glittered around, going straight to the ceiling to spin like a disco ball. Cooper laughed and went to fetch drinks, but Biggie remained by Branch's side, looking for the girls. The blue troll needed to find Smidge and tell her about the misunderstanding going on.

When they arrived at the bunker earlier they caught Branch redecorating! He wanted to surprise Poppy with a more home-coming feeling, since she was a regular visitor, he changed a few things to agree with her fine taste in decorations. He had lost track of time when his new couch was placed in the living room. He thought if it was too much, if it was obvious that replacing a simple armchair with a couch would alert her that he intended on cuddling there. He was stuck in his internal battle until the gang arrived.

Branch spotted her in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by the other girls. Her bewitching laughter could be heard even with the loud music, or it was Branch's sharp ear that could catch any sound she made. For a second, the world just stopped, she looked beautiful. He saw her dancing with a half empty cup in her hands, wearing a yellow dress, she hugged the other girls and occasionally talked to acquaintances when they approached to wish her a happy birthday.

Branch felt a little left out. There she was, having a nice birthday party, surrounded by... well... everyone! ... and looking stunning as ever. She was dearly loved by everybody. It wasn't because she was their queen, but because she was true, she was sincere, she was herself. Even the trolls who had just met her got immediately enchanted by her personality.

And yet... she had said she loved him. From all trolls in the kingdom, she had chosen the most grumpy one. The way she said she loved him back, shyly, but with her eyes never leaving his... it was like a gift life had given him, that moment was like a picture that would be forever framed in his heart. "I love you, too, Branch."

"Smidge is over there!" Biggie said, pointing at the girls Branch had spotted previously. "Wait, is she wearing a bridal veil? Oh, this is a bachelorette party!"

That made Branch move as fast as he could, pushing his way to the pink queen before any 'surprises' jumped out of a giant cake or something like that. She was dancing with her back turned to him. Her eyes closed, moving around lazily going with the song's beat, letting it overflow her. He waited a moment wondering how to announce he had just arrived. Should he just tap her on the shoulder?

Before he could make up his mind, she turned around and stumbled on him, spilling her drink all over her dress. He thought she would be mad, but instead, she laughed, looking up to finally see who she had run into. Her lips curved in an alleviated smile. He had finally come.

"Were you watching me dance?" She asked, still wearing that smile that suddenly got a hint of shyness.

"I... hm... I-I... I'm sorry you spilled your drink." It was the first thing that came to his mind.

"It's okay," she said, looking down at her ruined dress."It's not going to stain." A tingling feeling ran down her back, making her feel a little dizzy. He was one handsome troll, she noticed. His blue eyes were slightly lighter than his hair, somehow she had missed how his arms were thicker than an average troll, maybe from all the hard work around his traps and security surveillance. Oh dear, was she checking him out? "I'm not thinking straight." She declared and he offered her a hand. "I think I should go home."

"I'll walk you." He had just arrived, but he was so glad they were already leaving. He saw Biggie, Smidge and Guy getting in an undistinguished argument once he announced he would take Poppy home. Barb gave her a 'thumb' up' laughing when the pink queen almost ran into a stool near the bar area as Branch tried to find the exit. "How are you feeling?" He asked, pushing the club's door open, welcoming the fresh air.

"I'm fine, just tired." She said, obviously not 'just tired'. She laughed and tugged his hair all the way to her pod. It took him a while to realize he was taking a drunken queen home and immediately feared for her reputation.

"Are you going to be fine?" He asked, giving her a hand so she could safely step inside her pod.

"Sure, I just need to sleep it off." She pathetically reached for her dress's zipper, which was in an angle she wouldn't get by herself. He wanted badly to help her, but his brain screamed out that it wasn't appropriate.

"Just promise me you won't fill your tub tonight." He begged, holding his hands together.

"I won't." She replied, still reaching behind her back.

"Okay... night. And Happy birthday. " He watched her until the moment the door completely closed and she still couldn't reach the zipper.

'Stupid, stupid.'' he thought, making his way to the bunker. How could he have missed most of her birthday? She didn't seem angry, but again, Poppy never got angry at anything that didn't involve other people. If he had missed their friend's birthday he would get an earful.

ooooOOoooooOooooOOooooOOoooooOOooooOOooooOoooOooOOOOooOOooooOoooOoo

The green grass felt delicious under her feet. The sounds of children laughing before getting ready to bed were heard all over Pop Village. The freshness, the singing, the sound of birds going back to their nests and the sound of leaves as the wind blew them made her heart beat with a homecoming joy. She was a little intoxicated, true, but as soon as Branch left, she exited her pod and sat down on top of the tree.

The orange sunset was splendid. She missed the sight of the coloring sky reflecting the tree leaves. She took her time to sit down and appreciate it like the fine work of an ethereal painter. The green fields framed the horizon and right on top of her head, a purple mix started to darken the view, highlighting a full moon and glittering stars that were just starting to show up for their evening dance.

The calmness, the breeze, the way her pink hair tickled her face... It was all a blessing. Each one of the elements in sight was a gift for her, it was like the universe was welcoming her home, welcoming her back to her kingdom after a long journey.

It took a while but they managed to rebuild their homes, they were able to put everything in place just like it was before, teaming up with all other tribes, who were inspired to share their music, they grew stronger and warmer with each other. What a lovely life was coming ahead...

Her hug watch went off and for the first time in weeks there wasn't anybody around for her to share the moment with. It didn't feel weird, though. Being alone for a while was another small gift she could enjoy. She hugged herself. She wanted to feel her own hug under the moonlight. It was a moment when she dove deep down under the surface of her conscious mind, when she swam towards what her heart truly desired.

The countless adventures and parties covered the silence. It covered her heart's call and somehow, she strolled away from the little princess she had been once, the one who dreamed of being queen. She walked so far away from her childhood's goals that once they beeped at her nowadays, she could barely get the call, not being able to understand what it said.

She had been there for a while. She reached her hair and got a small cupcake with a candle. "Happy birthday to me." She whispered so, in case someone was watching her, they couldn't hear her. It was her yearly ritual. A shooting star appeared in the sky, as if wishing her a happy birthday as well. "I wish to be the best Queen I can ever be!"

Sighing, she stood up, dusting her yellow dress off. Her pod was just below her feet and with a jump, she got inside, stretching and going straight to her bathroom to prepare a bubble bath. Branch didn't need to know she was going to misbehave a little. As the tub filled, she made her way to her dresser and picked up her mail from the day.

The amount of letters was getting impossible to control. Since the World Tour, since the number they all sang together, the letters seemed to add up and the fan mail just got out of hand. She was flattered - who wouldn't be? - so she placed the time for fan mail reading during the time she soaked in her tub. Most of the letters were from kids who looked up to her, who dreamed of being a strong leader one day.

It was hair-washing day, so she picked the items she usually kept on her hair for the day, like her scrapbook supplies and her cow bell. She opened a drawer on her dresser to put them inside, humming a soft song she had just made up. A colorful light caught her eye and she reached for her pink heart-shaped gem that was kept inside the same drawer. It had been a while since she sang for it, but as soon as she got it in her hands, her breath caught on her throat.

Her gem wasn't full pink anymore. It was multi-colored: blue, purple, yellow, orange, red and pink.

"Ssssugar!"


	2. Updating the Map and Talent Night

Reenergized, that's how Poppy felt when she woke up the next morning. She woke up extra early and prepared brownies with a special recipe she learned reading some cooking books her father kept. She tapped her foot twice at Branch's doormat and the elevator just showed up, as if it was waiting for her.

"Morning, Branch!" She shouted as soon she landed her foot on the lowest level. He probably was still in his bed so she made her way to the kitchen, humming a song on the way. "I can't wait to explore the snowy peaks today!" She continued as loudly as she could, dripping some strawberry syrup on his brownie. She turned on the coffee machine to get him a black strong coffee and a cappuccino for herself.

He walked inside the kitchen, his hair messy, his robe out of place and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Before his morning coffee, he couldn't think straight and she knew about it. She handed him his coffee and put a plate in front of him as he sat down by the table.

"I wonder where you get that energy in the morning." He yawned.

"I just like to welcome a bright new day!" She gave him a brisk hug, which got him by surprise. He was used to the energetic girlfriend making herself comfortable around his home, but she still managed to startle him with quick displays of affection.

"So.. the snowy peaks, you said?" He picked up the Troll Kingdom map her father had kept hidden with their string and opened it up on the table, while sipping his coffee.

"It's half a day ride. We'll be there by noon." She took a bite of her brownie. "I heard that's where the yodelers hide."

He had to admit he was excited to update the map with her. Since they returned from their adventure nearly three weeks before, they had a good excuse to spend time together and it was really interesting to draw, scrapbook and study the new creatures they found on the way. Besides, he really enjoyed riding the critter-motorcycle Barb had given them.

"Before we go, I want to give Monique a makeover. It will be really quick."

"Monique?" Branch was puzzled.

"The critter-cycle! She's a girl, didn't you notice?" Poppy finished her cappuccino in one big gulp. "While you get ready, I'll put some glitter on her. She's going to look adorable!"

Branch and Poppy had some different opinions about 'adorable', he concluded once he saw the pink-painted bug with lipstick and green moss for a saddle... but he could work with that as long as it could fly. Poppy was adding a few final touches, which gave him time to check on the weather.

The wind was blowing west and the chilly breeze warned him that there was a dampness in the atmosphere that wasn't there the day before. Clouds weren't above Pop Village, but they gathered northeast, looking dark and about to precipitate. For safety’s sake, the peaks weren't a good idea to explore that day. It would be a better idea to cover some desert grounds .

"We can't go to the peaks today, Poppy." He pointed at the dark clouds when she inquired the reason why he had just said that. "We don't want to get caught in a storm."

"Oh..." She was disappointed. She really wanted to go mountain-climbing. She even had packed her snow boots - which were very heavy on her backpack, by the way. And she knew, by the amount of invitations and work that was adding up in the pile in her pod, that she probably wouldn't have the time to take a whole day to explore the peaks soon.

"We could check the desert. It's probably going to be fast and we'll be back on time for that mix talent night you wanted to attend." He offered a smile and she replied to it with a shy one.

"That's sweet of you to remember the talent night."

"It's not like I can forget something like that..." He laughed, taking his bunker list from his hair. "You added number 12 'bare the soul in verse' and since last time I tried to complete my bunker list it didn't end well, I'm thinking it may be a good idea to try it out again." Besides, he added mentally, he really wanted to make it up for the night before, maybe some poetry would smooth things up a bit.

"Let's cover the desert quickly, then." She put on her pink goggles and climbed on Monique, who looked really miserable covered in glitter. He climbed behind her, holding her around the waist as an excuse to keep his balance as she took off. It was a trial. His hands on her waist felt heavy and the awareness of her warm body through her clothes made him wonder if he was even touching her properly.

The shiny desert didn't look that interesting at first sight, it was just hills of sand and wind that blew dust in their mouths. So much for a romantic adventure. The blinding sun burned their skins in a way they weren't prepared for. The golden sand continued endlessly towards Vibe City, like they had previously mapped, but in the other direction, some trees with big tropical leaves stood out, making Poppy change directions towards it. They hadn't seen that part, yet.

They hovered above what looked like a rainforest, the broad leaves provided good shelter from the sun and the air seemed cooler. Plants of different sizes and shapes co-existed in a perfect ecosystem like they were singing their lives in natural skylines, with tuned birds and critters to harmonize with the sound of crystalline water running and...

"Did you hear that?" Branch whispered at Poppy, who was just about to land. He picked the handle and pulled them up once again, making her yelp at the sudden movement.

"I heard nothing." She said, looking down in curiosity.

"There!" Branch pointed at a plant that moved like something was hiding in it. "I think we should go and return when we've got..." He didn't want to say it... weapons? Another word for weapons... "more prepared to run into potentially dangerous creatures." Poppy got his slip, but said nothing. She wouldn't argue with him about getting prepared anymore.

"I bet Reggaeton Trolls live here." Poppy said, but quickly took the handle back to herself, feeling Branch's hand back on her waist.

"Tresillo!" Branch called, going against his survival instincts that warned him to stay quiet. Birds flew with the sound of his voice echoing through the treetops. Nobody answered. "Maybe we should just go back home."

"Or maybe we should show them we're nice!" Poppy suggested, giving a few excited loops that almost made Branch fall down from the critter.

"Seriously? Have you learned nothing about trusting your sprinkles-topped instincts in the past weeks?"

"Don't go all Branch on me, we're here to have fun." She protested, dying to land on the ground below them.

"Okay, let's just pretend, for a second, that we live in a world where not long ago we shared our territory with troll-eating monsters called the Bergens." He did his best to ignore her rolling eyes. "and now that we know there are other unexplored territories, who knows what kind of freaky predators are out there to eat us!"

"Okay, let's get back home." She surrendered, which surprised him. That was too easy. She didn't wait for his response and guided Monique back home while Branch made notes on the map about how tropical and warm the forest looked and what kind of dangers it might hide.

"I'll meet you at DJ's." Poppy said as soon as they landed back in Pop Village. Branch folded the map while watching Poppy setting Monique free to find the best place to rest before following her own path home. "I'll just have some work done before I get there."

"Poppy..." He whispered when she disappeared behind the bushes. Something wasn't right.

He was willing to spend more time with her alone, but he wasn't getting any privacy that evening. That bored him and almost made him give up on attending the talent night. The mix of poetry, music and reading was very intriguing for a fan of the art of language like he was, but he didn't feel like spending his evening at a table with his friends, not when his gut told him Poppy was hiding something.

He met Cooper, Prince D, Biggie, Smidge, Satin and Chenille at the talent night. They were all seated around a table, eating fried cheese cubes with a spicy sauce and having multi-colored drinks.

"Hey, Branch, you missed the opening." Biggie said, adjusting Mr. Dinkles bonnet. "DJ just performed an experimental piece that was..."

"Different." Guy Diamond said, walking up past Branch and taking a chair by his side.

"Where's Tiny?" Satin asked.

"Sound asleep." Guy showed Tiny sleeping in his hair. "Poppy's number is next." He announced. I just ran into her and she looked precious!" He said, nudging Branch and getting some contained laughs from their friends.

"I hope she put her new tiara on." Chenille squealed. "It looked so beautiful!"

"She's wearing it." The lights went off, and one single spotlight turned on in the middle of the stage, illuminating a piano and an empty chair. Branch couldn't help a smile when he saw Poppy taking her seat. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue top. The multiple heart tiara was on her head, being adjusted to her ponytail and matching the colored hug watch and bracelets. She started playing.

_ "Like a flower waiting to bloom _

_ Like a lightbulb in a dark room _

_ I'm just sitting here waiting for you _

_ To come on home and turn me on" _

The music continued, everybody were silently exchanging uncomfortable glances. Branch didn't know Poppy played the piano, he had seen her with many instruments before, but mostly she chose the ones she could walk around with. She closed her eyes and her fingers danced across the keys. He had to admit he enjoyed that sight!

"That was probably the most un-Poppy song I've ever heard." Cooper laughed in his goofy way, clapping with all the other trolls when the song ended.

"Let's just say that if the troll it was meant for didn't get the hint he's just a plain idiot." Branch heard Smidge saying and his cheeks heated.

"Go on, Branch, you're next!" Biggie said, shoving him forward.

He crossed paths with Poppy on his way up the small stage. She gave him a shy smile and wished him good luck. He immediately regretted choosing old poetry to pour his heart out. It wasn't even a good one. He had more heartfelt poetry in his diaries, but in his hurry to just get it done with, he had to pick the lamest...

"Branch will perform poetry, people." DJ Suki announced, before people were deafening silent. He felt sweat dampening his leaf vest, running down his spine.

_ "It's taken much too long _

_ To get it right _

_ Would it be so wrong _

_ To maybe find the right one _

_ A miracle _

__

_ And all you really need _

_ Is everything you could never be _

_ And so you'd give it all _

_ For a miracle _

__

_ Is there a trace _

_ Inside her face _

_ Of a lonely miracle _

__

_ And so I wait _

_ As I lay awake " _

That was... a disaster. He looked at the silent crowd. A few claps were heard here and there. Nobody really knew what that was supposed to mean. But then, a vigorous clapping started from the table where he had been seated. Poppy wolf-whistled, clapped and screamed out his name. Soon, their friends followed and when he realized the whole room was clapping and cheering for him.

He smiled at her, finding her hand in the dark after he went back to their table.

"I hope that counts as number 12."

"That counts for a lot of things." She answered him breathily. The night hadn't turned out so bad after all.

"You look a little pale." Branch said, walking by Poppy' side back to her pod. "Hey," He held her hand firmly on his, making her stop and look up at him. "I don't know what you're cooking in that brain of yours, but you're a great queen."

"I just... have this unsettling feeling on my stomach since my birthday. I may be coming down with something." She wanted badly to go to the snowy peaks, but the time was shortening. She felt his hand leaving hers and sliding up to her waist. Her breathing caught in her throat. She knew what he was doing. His other hand reached up and cupped her cheeks, giving her a passionate look, reassuring her he was there.

He wanted a kiss. It was so obvious. It was written all over his face. He just didn't know how to do it. Cute, innocent Branch, wanting to share their first kiss together.

"Poppy..." She heard Branch breathing out her name and closed her eyes. "Do you want to kiss me?"

"Very much..." She answered with a whisper.

And he bent down, tilting her lips up by placing a soft finger under her chin. His kiss was much like himself, a little clumsy, rough, but sweet and caring. It felt right. It felt like coming home. She could feel it all just by having his lips pressed softly against hers.

It lasted longer than she expected, but shorter than she wanted it to. She could go on for days just enjoying the electrifying feeling that their lips together had provided her. He broke them apart, licking his lips and trying to hide his blush.

The happiness was back. He smiled at her and she intertwined their fingers as she led him to her pod. Embarrassedly, they avoided each other's eyes. She really wanted to make the awkwardness go away, maybe it could be a good idea to spend the whole evening with him, scrapbooking or watching a crappy movie just to have a good cry at the ending. But she was queen now... and things were getting busier. Maybe just scrapbooking would do the trick.

Poppy could pinpoint the moment everything changed. When the tribes mixed, visiting each other, touring and learning more about their cultures, the differences made sense. She even had given her blessing to a new relationship developing between a Pop Troll and a Classical one. It was a new era and she had welcomed it with open arms. For a moment, she remembered the night before, when she was sitting by herself under the moonlight and felt completely fulfilled.

"Poppy...?" Branch called her, making her look up from the scrapbook they were making. "Are you scared? About us?"

"What do you mean?" He was still stuck thinking about their kiss when her mind had already fast-forwarded to her kingdom-running routine.

Her pod was warm, she could feel her feverish cheeks. Branch didn't look directly at her. He looked down, gluing a character in a rainbow that Poppy had asked him to. He had been thinking a lot since they confessed. They had developed a beautiful, steady friendship in the past years. He could be wrong, but he could bet his bunker that he was closer to her than any other friends she had.

"We're going somewhere..." He said, the rainbow for the next day's class was ready. He tried it out. "... somewhere I haven't been before and it scares me."

"Is that the reason why you've held your feelings for so long?" She inquired, kneeling a bit closer to him with the excuse to see the scrapbook.

"Yes... I thought you didn't feel the same way." He whispered.

"And the kiss... just now..."

"It terrified me." He continued. "You're the queen, Poppy, I'm just... Branch. If it doesn't work out... if we end up hurting each other..."

"Okay, stop right there." Poppy took the scrapbook from his hands, forcing him to look straight to her eyes. "I haven't been in a relationship before, either. I don't know how it works, but I know we will figure it out." He could see the fire in her eyes, that look when she set her mind on something. "I know this isn't something we think about, it's something we feel and what I feel towards you is something unique. I know that it feels right to be with you and for me it's enough. I want to see where this road takes us."

"Nobody says things like you..." He felt... breathless. He watched her for a moment, that small girl with a big heart. He bent down and gave her a chase kiss again, making both blush. She broke their kiss and hugged him, it was such a tight hug and it lasted for so long that he could feel the awkwardness vanishing. It was like she was cleaning his fears with her own soul through that hug. Just then, he knew - as he wrapped his arms around her - that everything would be okay.

  
  


**A/N - I'm so happy to be writing this! Soon you'll know why.**


	3. To the Snowy Peaks!

Poppy really wanted to go to the Snowy Peaks, but she had to postpone it. Branch caught a predator with his net and he swore it was just a small one, the mother would be out there as well. She didn't even have the time to think of how or when to get back updating the map, somehow her queenly duties increased to the point of overbooking her agenda.

During the mornings, she would have meetings with Sky Toronto about enlarging the factory so he would have more room to produce party supplies to export. She studied his plans and designs and where he could build it so it wouldn't disturb the peace of the Troll Village. The afternoons were packed with business and public meetings. She made trips to other tribes so she could understand how they worked, how they lived, what was important for them and how they could collaborate with each other. She usually returned with a filled clipboard and more questions. Then in the evenings, she alternated in public parties and soirées to work on connections with the new tribes.

It wasn't at all boring, but it was busy, it was different. It was too grown up. Her dad didn't warn her about that part of being king. She understood what he meant when he got into hair-crafting. He never had time for himself until he retired, she wondered if it was going to be the same with her. How would she make progress with her relationship with Branch if she barely had time for herself anymore?

So she created time. She woke up extra early to get done with paperwork and sent a list of supplies she would need delivered from the factory that day - the parties never stopped after all. Pop Trolls were the happiest creatures and their parties had to be perfect, always. She also prepared classes and sent them to Smidge so she could take her place in teaching the trollings. When it was time for Branch to wake up, she would be there, inside his bunker with a nice breakfast. He never said anything, but sometimes he knew it was all the time they would have together during the day. She was exhausted and one morning, when she slept over his table. Branch decided to speak up.

"You need a day off."

"I'm perfectly fine." She yawned. "I can handle this."

"Pick a place, I'll take you there." He ignored her reply. "Just a weekend."

"I can't go now, Branch; Sky's factory is almost done and we still have to go through the trading deal."

"There will always be more parties, more supplies, more visits. You must take some time off."

"Pff... I have it under control."

"You've gotten thinner." He blurted out, Poppy hadn't touched her breakfast so far and immediately took a bite, just to prove him wrong. "You have dark circles under your eyes." Another bite. "I miss spending time with you."

"Okay..." She finally gave up, pushing her blueberry pie away. "Snowy Peaks, let's resume our map updating."

"But map updating is work, Poppy." He was getting really frustrated with her. "Besides, you've been insisting on going there. We haven't finished the desert, yet."

"I've been there - to the peaks I mean." She said quietly, looking away from him. "There's this... cabin. We can stay there a couple of days."

"When did you go there?" Branch asked, picking up the map from a drawer and opening it on the kitchen table. There wasn't a sign of a cabin or even troll activity anywhere.

"I've spent five years there." That made him look at her, looking for a bluff. "It's where I've got my education."

"You haven't been absent for five years!" He stood up, marching to where he kept her invitations. He was sure he had kept all her birthday parties invitations. Poppy didn't argue with him, she just rested her chin on her hands and waited for it... "Here... one, two, three, four..." He was so sure he was going to get to twenty four birthday party invitations, but he just got nineteen.

"Now that you believe me - it was really cute of you to keep all those invitations, by the way, - I think it would be a great place to take the weekend off."

"It doesn't make any sense," Branch still counted and recounted the invitations. "If you had been absent for five years I would have noticed."

"I went there from ten to fifteen." She declared, still holding her irritation about the fact that he was doubting her.

"Oh..." He remembered when he was ten years old he had the accident with the evil bird. It was when he really isolated himself, only coming out of his bunker occasionally to pick up wood and restock food. Maybe he had been the absent one. "Okay, you have a point."

"I'll just reschedule a few meetings and we can go on Friday morning, is it fine with you?"

"Sure." Even if he felt bad he had missed five years of her life, maybe even more, he was happy for now. He could have an exclusive Poppy and Branch adventure together, a lighter one, and maybe - he blushed - he could get more kisses.

As soon as she was gone, he opened the door to the living room and stared at the couch. He had no idea how to get her sitting there with him, but he really wanted to. He closed the door again. Maybe he could get her there next week. Since he couldn't take a step away from his bunker without a plan, he started writing down a list of supplies he would have to get ready for Friday.

His mind wondered at how different things could have turned out if Biggie didn't accidently get into the balloon. He would probably have made his move when they were flying, or maybe when they were at Lonesome Flats. Well, this time there would be no Biggie, no hard rockers, no country trolls, nobody to get in his way.

ooooOOooooooOOooooOOooooooOOOOOoooooOOooooOOOOooooOOooooOOOoooOOooo

"I love Country Trolls food." Poppy said, filling her plate a second time. She was going to prove to Branch she had not gotten thinner. She sat on a round table at her pod with Delta Dawn, Queen Essence and Barb. Girl leaders reunion top priority subjects, or so that's how she had called it just to get them all together.

"I love Pop Trolls desserts." Delta Dawn replied.

"Okay, while you girls drool at each other's food, I have to say nobody makes cocktails like us." Barb said, raising a glass with a skull-y drink.

"This is all delicious." Queen Essence said in her motherly way, but she was curious about the last minute reunion Poppy had invited them to. "But I know we aren't here just to have a royal slumber party."

"Yeah, you're right." Poppy stood up and walked around, a little nervous, looking at the drawer she had kept her damaged gem. "I really need to go see my mentor." The other female trolls looked puzzled. Queen Essence was the one to speak up.

"Do you mean you went to the Queen Etiquette School?"

"Yes, have you been there?" Poppy asked excitedly.

"No, and I believe you are too young to have been there as well." Queen Essence looked at the other girls who didn't seem to catch what they were saying. "This is Miss Guffin school for Queens. She only took one student at time to mentor, but they said her methods were very strict so she closed the school."

"So, nobody knows her..." Poppy whispered, looking down. She had hoped the other queens could understand what she had gone through.

"Poppy?" Barb asked with her mouth full of brownies.

"Well, I think I was the last student, then." Poppy suddenly declared. Essence and Delta exchanged a look. "I have a big problem to solve and she's the only one who can help me."

"Isn't she too hard on her students?" Delta asked.

"No, she's a lovely mentor." Poppy sighed.

"Do you want any help?" Barb asked, eager for an adventure.

"No, actually, Branch is going with me."

"Oh... I think I'm going to puke..."

"Anyway," Poppy gave Barb a warning look. "I wanted to postpone a few meetings until we're back on Monday."

"We all could use some time off." Queen Essence said. "This routine of mixing cultures is crushing my bones."

"I think this is all over-planning, if you ask me." Barb pushed her empty place away; she put her feet on the table and her hands behind her head. "I say we go with the flow, let trolls interact and as things evolve we cut in if we need to. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I agree." Poppy said and drank her berry juice, "but I think we should tie a few loose ends like... we should have nacho cheese available in case rock trolls want to visit and Delta should have a pool or something in case Techno Trolls visitors get homesick. We must keep everybody happy so they can adjust. I don't want to bring everybody together so it leads to fighting as it previously did." Oh hair... maybe she was spending too much time with Branch.

"Poppy..." Queen Essence leaned forward. "We all want this to work out. This time we team up to succeed. There will be no more fighting."

"You really need a time out." Delta laughed, "If you're worried about everybody having fun how are you going to have your own fun?"

"Talking about it..." Barb stood up and went through her bag to pick up a book with a dark cover that had been glued to the original one. She threw it at Poppy who just stared at it in confusion while Queen Essence and Delta engaged in a conversation about the hamburgers the Country Trolls made, that special sauce they had for barbecue was simply divine. "Your birthday present."

"Fifty Shades of Grey?" Poppy read out loud, picking the book up. Barb could barely contain herself. "Branch isn't gray anymore, Barb, I don't even know who told you about his gray past."

"Just read the freakin' book. You'll thank me later. Here's the other two parts, by the way."

"Okay, jeez..." Poppy put the books with some more fan mail and put it inside her bag. She was already packing for the trip. "I could use some light reading anyway."

ooooOOoooooOOOooooOoooooOOooooOOooooooOOOooooooOOooooOOoooooOOooooOo

He tied the last satchel on Monique - he rolled his eyes at the name - and put a rope around the blankets, made sure the snow shovel wouldn't fall down; he checked the flashlights and the battery powered radio. Prince D and Cooper were just there helping him out. Branch had to admit D was the coolest guy he had befriended lately. He was like Cooper, only with a better brain.

"What about taking a small generator?" D asked, showing a rather large equipment.

"I don't know if Moni- er... the critter... will take the weight."

"Okay, but a two-way radio is vital." He put down the radios to be packed and went back inside the bunker. "And extra batteries."

"Don't forget the food, man." Cooper came out of the bunker with cupcakes and brownies, which he started packing. "I guess you'll need water as well."

"Don't forget the caramels." Biggie intruded, coming out of a bush with Mr. Dinkles. "Poppy loves caramels, you better keep the Queen happy."

"I made sure Poppy packed plenty of caramels, my friend." Guy Diamond also arrived. "And some surprises as well."

"What did you hide in her bag, Guy?" Branch started feeling crowded and annoyed.

"I suggested she didn't forget her makeup, I mean, she's such a sophisticated lady, even in snow she must look her best." Biggie added and Branch looked up in exasperation.

"I told her specific orders to pack just the essentials for the trip. Weight is a big problem in bad weather!"

"Grouch Branch makes a comeback."

"ANYWAY," Branch raised his voice, getting the attention back to Prince D. "D, I want you to hold the radio and just in case we have a problem, this is the route we're taking. Poppy said the cabin is somewhere over... here." He pointed at the highest mountain on the map on the left side. "The search party should go up here and take the turn here..."

"Jeez, Branch, if you think something bad is going to happen, why are you even going?" Biggie asked.

"Because Poppy wants to go and she would go without him anyway." Guy Diamond completed.

"Stubborn independent lady our queen is." Cooper laughed, only triggering Branch's anger. He kicked a rock out in frustration, but he knew Cooper was right. From his last experience, Poppy would go on an adventure by herself if she really wanted to.

"Yeah, and naive as well, which means she would probably get herself killed thinking she would hug her way out of a snowstorm." Branch offered Monique food and water, getting the critter ready for departure.

"Hey guys!" They heard Poppy's voice and turned to welcome her. Branch remained quiet, looking as she cheerfully hugged all her friends. "That's a lot of luggage." She declared, putting her hands on her hips.

"We must be prepared, it's going to be cold." Branch took a jar that was resting on his elevator and took a few colorful crunchy balls. "Vitamin C." He explained when she gave him a questionably look. "The last thing you want is a low immunity this weekend."

"Do you think she's going to take it?" Guy whispered to Biggie, who couldn't take his eyes from the scene unfolding right in front of him. And she did. She quickly put the colorful balls on her mouth and swallowed, not giving herself the time to taste them. "She didn't even argue with him!"

"And reflective jackets." Branch showed her a smaller version of a yellow and black jacket he was wearing.

"I'm not wearing that." She giggled. "It doesn't even match my skin."

"Fashion isn't the point here."

"I have mine." She pulled a fluffy white jacket from her bag and started putting it on.

"It's white! In the snow!"

"Branch, I'm pink, how can you not see me in the snow?"

Now, Biggie, Guy, Cooper and D watched the scene like a very entertaining movie, almost wishing they had brought popcorn. It was a usual Poppy and Branch banter, and it amused them every time to see how Poppy could dismantle every single argument Branch came up with.

"Now, guys." She turned to her friends, ignoring a fuming boyfriend behind her. "My dad will be in charge until I come back in two days. He misses being King anyway, so give him a taste of old days, will you?"

"Leave it to us, Queen Poppy." Biggie replied, giving her one long hug that took her feet off the ground.

"Hey, I'm the pilot." Poppy said, hopping on Monique behind Branch who was already settling himself for takeoff.

"It's my turn."

Monique took her time to fly away, obviously a little extra weight surprised her, but slowly she steadied herself and flew higher and higher. Poppy tied her arms around Branch, giving him a warm feeling at their contact. He saw their friends becoming smaller on the ground and the weather got windier as they took the route towards their cold weekend.


	4. Miss Guffin

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Poppy pushed the log cabin's door open, but she realized it was locked. Branch was right behind her, watching her while untying their luggage from Monique, who looked like she was in desperate need of rest. Poppy put a finger on her glitter freckled cheek and tapped it three times. Burying her feet back in the snow, she walked straight to a cherry tree and dug her hand in, searching for the roots.

Branch was about to break the silence and ask her what she was doing when she retrieved a bright golden key from its hiding place and marched straight to the door, opening it. So, indeed, she had been there before. He wondered how a happy-go-lucky troll like her could survive five years in a quiet place like that. To him, it was pretty much like heaven, but for her... it was torture.

She came back with a big excited smile and helped him with the bags, picking some of them up and carrying them inside. When he got the bigger ones, she released Monique and guided her to a shelter on the back. Branch saw, from a dusty window, when she opened the door with some difficulty because of the snow and helped the critter inside. He also heard her saying hello in a baby voice, which he figured she used when she saw some cute animals or something. She came out of there holding a basket and closing the door behind her with a 'thank you'.

"Look, Branch!" She said, when entering the two-story cabin again. "Fresh eggs!"

"You're really excited." He pointed out, hoping she would tell him more about the time she spent there.

"I am. Can we leave unpacking for later? I'm dying to see Miss Guffin!" She clapped her hands squealing.

"What?" Branch looked up at her, "I thought we were going to be by ourselves!" There goes his plan on getting some alone time with her...

Seeing his irritation, Poppy calmed down. She smiled at him and helped with the tools on the ground. He had just started testing out the radio. He remained quiet, trying to suppress his irritation and went back working on what was really important: safety. She handed him a small screwdriver which he accepted.

"Okay, we can go after dinner." Poppy offered, giving him a shy smile and a side hug. That gesture just made all the irritation melt. "I wanted to cook something for you anyway." She reached her hair again and picked up his bunker list. "Here, number 13: eat cooked food."

"Good, now I'm your weekend project." He replied sarcastically.

"You can stop me anytime you want." She said in a sing-song voice, placing the list on an armchair. She knew he wouldn't do that, he would be too curious to see what she had planned for him.

She made her way to the kitchen and started cleaning up the sink, the pans and utensils she was going to use. It was almost diner time anyway, so she'd better hurry if they wanted to eat and make it to Miss Guffin before nightfall.

Branch got the radio ready and took his bag upstairs. There were two rooms and one bathroom. He decided to go for the smaller room, where he felt most comfortable. He unpacked, neatly placing his coat, jacket, sweatshirts on hangers inside the wardrobe and his shirts, pants and briefs on drawers. He was also thankful he thought ahead and brought clean sheets and blankets. The ones on the bed looked a million years old. He changed everything and dusted off the room. Now it looked like he could spend the weekend there.

He decided to change the sheets on the other room as well. Since Poppy was cooking, he might as well help her out some other way. He took the spare sheets and blankets, he changed her pillowcase and cleaned up the dust, opening the window to get some fresh air circling through the cabin.

Last, but not least, he checked the bathroom. The toilet was working, the sink was functioning perfectly and the water seemed warm enough. Everything was clean and neat. Good.

He climbed down the stairs again and saw Poppy happily chopping some tomatoes. She was using a roll to spread the dough over the table at the same time as she checked on the mix on the stove. Branch didn't know Poppy could cook. Actually, he was hit by a sudden realization, he didn't know much about her personal routine at all. He always saw her outside her pod, most of the time worried about helping friends, making everyone happy and going through her queen agenda. Her personal life, on the other hand...

"Can you set the pasta machine on the table, please?" She asked him, which he immediately obeyed. He watched, in amazement, as she put the dough on top and carefully picked the fettuccini that came out underneath. She made sure every stripe was perfect before taking them to the boiling water. She also smelled the tomato sauce to make sure it was cooking right.

Their hug watch beeped.

"Oh my!" She laughed, trying to put the fettuccini down, but realizing she was going to ruin them if she did. "Hug me, quick!"

"You'll burn yourself." He said, amusedly.

"Then hug me before I do!" She lifted her elbows, never letting go of the pasta stripes she had just fished. Still turned to the stove she urged him. "Go on, already!"

Awkwardly, he walked behind her and placed his hands around her. He felt her relax under his touch. Smiling, he rested his chin on her left shoulder, breathing in her perfume. Now, that was an interesting hugging position. She hummed in approval and they remained silent until their watches faded out again. Branch realized he didn't want to let go.

But he did, anyway. He could hear her breathing deeply, as if trying to control herself. She finished cooking the fettuccini and placed the portions on decorated plates. He noticed his portion was bigger than hers. Then she put the tomato sauce and basil and...

"Pronto! Al dente, as it should be!" She announced, placing both plates on the table. Branch watched in amazement as she took off the apron and opened a door, going to another room. She returned a few seconds later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "A Chianti will do."

"You are a sophisticated girl, aren't you." He said before he could stop himself, causing her to blush.

"I'm queen, Branch. I had to learn about these things." She rolled her eyes, trying to dismiss the embarrassment. "Dig in."

Indeed, cooked food was the best. He had to admit that. Maybe because it was Poppy's cooking, or maybe because it was seasoned with love, but he was sure that he would want to eat cooked food always from that moment on. She finished her own meal and waited for him to finish as well, sipping on her wine.

"You see... I haven't been totally open with you about the reason why I wanted to come here." Oh she knew he was going to be mad, but there was no turning back now. She hated to ruin the perfect moment.

"What?" Branch asked, suspiciously, almost dropping the glass. "We're supposed to be here so you can rest! What are you planning?"

She reached across the table and took his hands with hers. His irritation immediately subsided, sensing the matter was a little more serious than one of her reckless adventures. He couldn't help but notice how warm her hands were. She licked her lips and released his hands, going for her hair and picking her heart-shaped gem. He gasped.

"When did this happen?"

"I don't know. I just noticed it on my birthday." She said quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Ok..." Branch examined the gem for a while, he studied the edges, the shape, the weight. Everything looked the same, except the colors. He handed it back to her and she hid it in her hair once again. "And this Miss Guffin can help with the troll gem?"

"She's the one who took care of mine and gave it to me when it bloomed. I hope she could help."

"Where does she live?" Branch asked, standing up and putting his coat.

"Just across the woods." Poppy said, pointing at the small smoke going up in the distance, like it was coming out of a chimney. "I just have to ask you not to speak when we get there, okay?"

"Why is that?" He raised a suspicious eyebrow at her.

"She's very.... old... traditionalist... old-fashioned... conservative... stereotyped... kind of lady." Poppy said, playing with the hem of her winter dress.

"And how is that a problem?" He pushed further.

"Let's just hope there won't be a problem... at all." She just walked past him in a sudden hurry, making him groan and follow her closely behind.

She hummed a nervous song the whole way across the small path, making the gem in her hair glow involuntarily. Branch watched when she checked her crown, checked her clothes, made sure her snow boots were tied, picked a small mirror to check on her teeth, check on her breath, adjusted her ponytail. He had never seen Poppy so anxious before, not even during the Royal Review. Maybe that Miss Guffin lady really was someone who ticked her off.

The cabin was like a fairytale, that's for sure. When they came out of the woods, Branch saw the small pink home with a roof that seemed made of frosting, with caramels painted on the walls and a delicious smell of freshly cooked apple pie. So, maybe being quiet wasn't going to be a problem if his face was full of dessert.

Poppy took a deep breath and knocked, looking back at him nervously. He stood behind her, trying to pass unnoticed, which seemed to be a good idea. Nobody answered and Poppy knocked again. The door opened and Poppy jumped back, working on a bright smile.

"Poppy!" Miss Guffin was an old woman, indeed. She had blue hair, pink skin (a little lighter than Poppy's) and round darker cheeks that seemed to be carved from the shape of her round glasses. "I was hoping to see you again!" They gave each other a long hug, one that Branch had to check his hug watch to see if they were going to let go anytime soon.

"Here I am." Poppy answered, opening her arms and closing them again, quickly.

"Come inside, it's chilly out here. I've just baked some pie." She placed her arm around her former student and guided her inside. Branch went completely ignored to that point, but stepped inside as well, feeling comfortable enough to hang his coat beside Poppy's. He followed his Queen after her mentor to the kitchen where she was being served a slice of pie. Poppy handed him a plate with a big slice and a good amount of ice cream on top. Miss Guffin gave him a quick glance and gave Poppy another slice.

"I've been so alone here since I retired, I was wondering if I was ever going to see another soul before my time comes." Branch saw the conversation developing with cordiality and a lot of unnecessary silverware, in his opinion, but he remained quiet, eating his pie and sipping on the tea Poppy had poured him.

Through the kitchen threshold, he could see a big painting on the living room's wall. It was a young troll who looked about their age, with golden hair and a full smile, with a ripped body that visibly stood out from the tight shirt he was wearing.

"... I hope you have learned that last lesson about being careful about holding back and not socializing freely as you used to." Branch heard Miss Guffin saying and frowned, Poppy just laughed and dismissed the subject complimenting the dessert. "I see you have been crowned."

"A lot has changed." Poppy answered, placing the spoon on the right side of the empty plate, showing she was done eating. Branch watched every single move she made if she was dancing in etiquette codes that he would never understand. "And that's why I'm here. I need some assistance."

"Ah, I knew it wasn't just a friendly visit." Miss Guffin laughed discreetly, covering her mouth with her gloved hand. "How can I help?"

Poppy didn't glance at him, as she usually did when she was nervous, she kept her eyes focused on her mentor as she showed her the gem. He could see the moment Miss Guffin's hair went a tone paler before returning to its usual blue.

"What happened to the Strings?" Miss Guffin asked, staring at the gem, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose. Then Poppy took the opportunity to glance at him quickly while Miss Guffin was engrossed in her observation. He was as lost as she was. They had no idea it had anything to do with the Strings, but now that she had mentioned them.... Branch looked closer, the strings colors were the same that were shining from Poppy's gem. "Answer me, child!"

"I destroyed them." Poppy said, looking frightened for a moment. "To save everyone, I just smashed them and they disappeared; they're gone.... lost."

"You didn't destroy them." Miss Guffin stood up, going to the living room, passing the ripped troll portrait and opening a door that almost made Branch fall backwards. She had a huge library hidden in the closet. "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed." Now Branch started to understand Miss Guffin a little more.

She picked up an old book (not a scrapbook, a real plain book, which surprised Branch) and placed it back on the kitchen table. She opened it in one specific page and Poppy leaned closer to take a look. Branch did the same, but keeping his distance. What they saw in there made him curse out loud, completely forgetting about keeping quiet. Actually, he couldn't keep quiet anymore. He had a lot of questions and he needed answers.

"You absorbed the Strings, Poppy." Miss Guffin said, showing them a picture of a troll dressed exactly in the same outfit Poppy had gotten at the Just Sing number. Indeed, why was she the only one to get an upgrade since all the leaders were there?

"Does it have any side effects?" Branch asked, getting a disgusted look from Miss Guffin, before being answered.

"I know nothing about that. I need time to research." She turned back to a very frightened queen, "Poppy, you'll need to be looked after; I'll call Fern."

"There's no need to call him into this." Poppy quickly made her way around the table and stood with her arms open, blocking Miss Guffin's way. Branch was lost again.

"You are an unmarried, inexperienced Queen carrying all other trolls' lives in your hands, how can I not call him?"

"You see.... I...."

"Insolent child, are you still avoiding your betrothed?"

Branch felt the ground opening up under him. What had he just heard? He suddenly felt like he was in one of the Smooth Jazz hallucinations again. A white tiger was going to jump into the room any moment now.

"I'm not betrothed to Fern, Miss Guffin." Poppy said, looking nervously at him, waving her hands in front of her and walking around briskly, making him very dizzy. "I'm already married." Branch's heart could have stopped right there. Poppy walked straight to him and held his hands in hers. He felt the way she was shaking, the way her small hands were sweaty, but firmly intertwined her fingers with his, as if assuring him that she was certain of what she was doing.

"This is Branch, my husband."


	5. Let the Guard Down

"Please, don't be mad." Poppy said again, dashing after Branch as he stormed out of Miss Guffin's cabin. It was the fourth time she had repeated the same sentence during the small walk and he still didn't answer her with words. She just knew he was hearing her because he kept groaning in irritation. Their own cabin came to view and Branch got inside. He waited until she closed the door and took off her hat and earmuffs to give her a piece of his mind.

"This is ridiculous!" He said, crossing his arms after hanging his heavy coat by the door. "Betrothed, Poppy? Seriously? Were you ever going to tell me?"

"It's not like that!" She replied with a small smile, it amused her how he focused on that particularly subject.

"I barely had the guts to kiss you and now I'm supposed to play the husband?! What a stupid plan! Again!"

"I just said that to get her off my back." Poppy felt like raising her voice, but restrained herself. Branch was upset enough for both of them. "It's not like she's going to have the time to spy on us."

"And who's Fern?" He insisted, pushing a chair to sit down and pay exclusive attention to her answers.

"He's her son." Poppy looked down, tapping her fingers together. "He's also... my... hair-jitsu master..." She saw Branch tightening his jaw, as if swallowing up more questions. "Listen," She sat down next to him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "I think Miss Guffin just wants to be part of a royal family. She mentored queens her whole life. She just saw the opportunity when I came here."

"I don't like her." Branch finally announced. "Did she just arrange an engagement without consulting you?"

"Well..." Poppy stood up again, picking up the dishes that were still on the table and placing them inside the washing machine. "She used to comment a lot about how wonderful” - Poppy tried to say it in a voice imitating her mentor - “it would be when I married him and we would be one big family. I never agreed to it, so there's no engagement. Happy, now?"

Branch exhaled, his shoulders relaxed and he unfolded his arms. She was still his. Good. Besides, he suddenly felt like he had to talk about the gem and not about her past.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, standing up and helping her with the dishes. The pans were too big for the small washing machine.

"Okay, I guess." She answered quietly and after a moment she continued... "Do you really think I absorbed the Strings?"

"It would explain the gem... and the outfit..."

"Barb had her hair grown as well..."

"YOU changed from hair to toes, Poppy."

"We can't let Miss Guffin do the research on her own." Poppy said, drinking a glass of water.

"Whoa, hold it right there." Branch turned around, facing her with his brows furrowed. "We came here so you would relax. I don't want you passing out from exhaustion. I can help her, you rest."

"But..."

"No buts, Poppy." He walked to a corner where the crunchy vitamins were. "Here, take them again. You heard what she said, I must take care of you and that's what I'm going to do." She obviously didn't like what he had just said.

"Excuse me!" Miss Guffin suddenly opened the door of their cabin and cleaned her throat after spotting them in the kitchen. Branch quickly put his left arm on Poppy's waist, remembering the “husband” part. "I just figured I'll need some assistance." And she placed five big books on the table.

"We were just discussing that, right hubby?" Poppy smiled through clenched teeth, leaning her head on Branch' shoulder.

"Right... wifey..."

Miss Guffin stared at them for what seemed too long, narrowing her eyes, then she just turned her back, thanked them and went back to her cabin, leaving the door open. Branch sighed, rubbing his temples. Seeing his distress Poppy felt bad for coming up with that sudden lie, maybe it was too much for him.

"I'm going to soak up a bit..." She announced, climbing up the stairs and turning on the water to fill the tub. Her fuzzy pajamas were under all the other clothes. She wasn't in the mood to unpack and pulled out only what she was going to wear, letting three books fall on the ground. Poppy had almost forgotten Barb's birthday gift. She picked the first volume up and placed it on the night table. Before starting the book, she needed to finish the fan mail.

The water got colder faster in the mountains, so she had to bath quickly. The steamy water and the smell of essential oils usually felt like submerging in happiness and it was like an instant mood booster. The mail also did the trick, making her feel like she had been hugged by each one of the happy messages.

Branch heard her unplugging the drain and then blowing her hair dry. He wasn't used to a wooden construction and the sound of her feet walking upstairs made him wonder about the building fragility. She walked to her room and came downstairs, the boards creaking underneath her feet.

Poppy had a book with her. She offered him a smile and filled a glass of wine, going back to the couch and sitting down with her legs stretched. Branch put more wood in the fireplace to make her comfortable. That scene before him was exactly what he was hoping for when they left Pop Village. He wanted to join her, but remembered his struggle with the couch in the bunker. He was dying to cuddle with her and she seemed perfectly happy on her own.

She sipped the wine and turned a page. Then another page and another... Branch watched her over the thick book Miss Guffin delivered; she brought her knees up to support the book. Her toes curled under her feet. Another sip of wine with her eyes never leaving the pages in front of her. He had never seen her so engrossed in a book before... maybe in a scrapbook, but never in a regular book. Then her eyebrows shot up and she pressed her lips together, after licking them.

He really wanted to ask what the hair she was reading that was so entertaining, but before he could decide how to approach the subject, she blushed and sat up quickly. Never meeting his eyes, she pulled off her thick pajamas top, revealing a thin white spaghetti-strap undershirt.

"Should I put out the fire?" He asked, trying to make conversation, but she barely looked at him and murmured a lazy 'no' in response. Her left hand suddenly started playing with her hair. He was getting nervous at all the fidgeting, but just then he realized the nervousness was being replaced by something else. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes for a second. Her hand travelled from her hair, to her neck and, absent-mindly, it came to rest on her heart. He blushed watching her, feeling like a voyeur even if she was sitting right there.

"I think..." Poppy said, finishing her wine in one gulp before standing up. "I'm going to go to bed... to my room... to sleep." It was for the first time in nearly an hour that she actually acknowledged he was there with her. Branch nodded, confusedly. He said good night and she quickly climbed up the stairs and shut the door behind her.

That was weird.

ooOOooooOOooooOOooooOOOooooOOoooooOOooooOOoooOOooooOOoooooOooooOOoo

He had dozed off on the armchair. The fire was dying when he woke up, feeling cold and stiff. It was probably past midnight. Yawning, he stretched and made his way to his room. He opened the drawer and picked up his own pajamas and went to the bathroom for a quick hot shower. He had to warm up quickly if he wanted to go back to sleep anytime soon.

The bathroom was a little different than when he had arrived. He noticed Poppy had placed a lot of things on the countertop, like shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, essential bathing oils, moisturizer and body hydrating and a lot of products that seemed to be categorized. It was no wonder she took so long bathing. Just an old plain soap would be enough for him.

Sleep was impossible to ignore. He turned off the bathroom lights and then the hall's, just then he realized Poppy's bedroom light was still on. She had been up there for hours, surely she had slept with the book on her face or something like that. He wasn't sure if he should open the door and reach for the switch. But just in case, he thought it was better to leave it that way.

He found out, sometime later, that Poppy didn't have to face a moral struggle at all, when she just opened the door and walked inside his room, while he was sitting up on the bed, looking very tired after an eventful day.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, yawning.

"I... hm... oh, to the hair with it!" She moved so fast he just saw a blur of pink. She wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips down on his, almost jumping on his bed at the same time. To say he was shocked was an understatement. Her eyes were closed and her skin was so warm that it almost burned him.

He was battling himself about where to put his hands when he felt her coaxing his lips open. She was leaning her head to the side and instinctively he leaned to the opposite side. He felt her hands travelling from around his neck to his chest and up his shoulders again. He moaned, surprised, when he was invaded by the exhilarating sweet taste of her tongue. He had no idea what to do; he had barely put his arms around her; like a statue, he just allowed her to keep the explorations.

"Hm..." She broke apart, inhaling. He could feel her breath tingling his lips. Light-headed, he realized he had been holding his breath all the time. Her eyes focused on his lower lip and up to his stunned eyes and then, back to his lips again. "I think I should go..." Branch's heart was beating so fast he felt like he had run a marathon. Could she hear it? Could she hear his heart? "I... good night."

Astonished, he saw as she slowly pulled away - suddenly making him feel very cold - and stood up, walking her way to his door and leaving. He would have wondered if she was sleepwalking, if he was the one dreaming or if suddenly the universe was conspiring to bring some joy and untangle his love-life. He realized he had countless sleepless hours to face ahead. There was also one thing he knew for certain: she wanted that kiss as much as he did.

He had his confirmation when he heard her squealing in her room.

ooooooooooOOOOooooOOOoooooOOoooOOOoooooOOooooOOOooooOOooooOoooOoooO

"Oh my Hair, what have I done?" Poppy woke up with a jolt next morning, as if waking up from a scary nightmare. She had kissed Branch, she had French kissed Branch. He had taken YEARS to say he loved her, he had taken WEEKS to move to a plain kiss and in a few hours alone with him she had just kissed his brains out. Oh that stupid book...

She quickly changed and went to Branch's room to apologize. To her surprise, the door was open and the bed was made. Frowning, she climbed down the stairs and found a full breakfast table waiting for her. The smell was incredible! Coffee, milk, mixed eggs, toast, jelly, brownies that she had brought from home, orange juice and a small basket of berries.

"Good morning." Branch said. She turned around to find him sitting down on the same chair he had been the night before. He had a grin over his face. Poppy immediately relaxed seeing his happy face.

"Morning," She replied, feeling shy, "That's an incredible breakfast."

"I... thought you'd like it." Both blushed and Branch was the first to move, offering her chair, which she giggly accepted. She had to admit there was something about his coffee that was just delicious. There was something in the brewing process... "I was thinking that we should go back to Miss Guffin."

"Why is that?" She asked, biting on her toast.

"I found nothing on the books." She put a spoon full of jelly in her mouth, listening to him. "I don't trust her. I want to help with the research and I don't want to leave you alone." He poured down some plain black coffee for himself and another with milk for her.

"Why don't you trust her? She took care of me for five years." Poppy sipped on her coffee and closed her eyes, enjoying the taste. He knew the right amount of milk and sugar she liked. It was perfect.

"She called you insolent, that's the first reason and second: if she had double intentions trying to match you with her son what else could she do?"

"She called me that all the time." Poppy laughed, dismissing the seriousness of the subject as if it didn't matter. "I defied her a lot."

"Well, you're queen now, she's the one who's supposed to be paying some respect." Branch had said it in a way that just melted her heart. "Shall we go after breakfast?"

"I had other ideas..." She smirked, playfully. He stared at her, suddenly feeling nervous. She giggled when she realized she had made him blush. "I want to show you the gym."

"Gym?" He was puzzled.

"Well..." She reached out her arm and grabbed his bunker list. "Here... the item 'get ripped' may take a while, so the sooner you start, the better." He was going to ask to skip that item; the moment he wrote that down he knew it was an impossible list. "Besides, I need to get my morning routine done. I'm not going anywhere before that."

He was caught by surprise at that. He didn't know Poppy had a workout routine... or was it another one of her schemes to get him to do the list? Sometimes they went to Smidge's body boot camp to support her, but he didn't know it was a regular thing for her.

The gym was a wooden structure like everything else. It had a big spacious room on the floor plan and a mezzanine area that surrounded the whole place. He could see there was a punching bag, a treadmill, a leg press, a leg extension machine, a pull down machine and some others he didn't know even how to sit on properly. It looked like a torture chamber.

"Ten minutes on the treadmill would be a nice start." Poppy suggested. She took off her jacket revealing a workout outfit. "Up you go." She ordered and he complied. From where he stood he could see her downstairs, training some hair-jitsu moves. She had flexed knees, and balanced herself from one to another in a series of combinations wheeling her arms, one passing the other and taking double hooks and double punches. He knew that one. It was just a warm up she had taught him.

From there, she went to other routines that took about half an hour. He went from the treadmill to the punching bag which he had to admit was really fun. From where he stood, he couldn't see her anymore.

"Do you mind if I turn on some music?" He heard her saying.

"Suit yourself!" He was prepared to hear some bubbly music with a catching rhythm that would be stuck in his head the rest of the day. Instead, he heard a soft song starting, with French lyrics. Curiosity got the best out of him and he looked down, seeing her dancing, stretching her arms above her head and balancing herself in one leg as the other went behind her body in an angle he thought nearly impossible. So she knew ballet as well? Would she ever cease to impress him?

" Fais comme si j'avais pris la mer

J'ai sorti la grand'voile

Et j'ai glissé sous le vent

Fais comme si je quittais la Terre

J'ai trouvé mon étoile

Je l'ai suivie un instant"

He felt like she was catching a spell on him. She moved softly with precise movements and she was swinging her waist around and turning and jumping. He had chosen that girl to be the one. He couldn't be prouder.

"Hey," He called after her dance was over. "Wanna spar?"

"Sure,"

"Let's bet: whoever gets immobilized first cooks lunch."

"That's not fair, I want to lose, then. I'm not eating crunchy dehydrated food." She teased, taking her place in front of him.

Branch gave her that irritating smug, positioning himself. Little did he know she already had a strategy planned out to wipe that smile out of his face. He engaged first, as expected, coming straight with a series of kicks, balancing himself on his hair. She defended herself, having to back up as he advanced, grunting.

She blocked his kicks with her hair and jumped forward, throwing punches that he easily blocked. Direct, jab, jab, direct, hook. To her surprise, none of them got him. He was getting way better at this than she had expected. Was he training by himself? Uppercut! Ineffective.

Poppy got frustrated at that and jumped, getting her turn in a series of kicks that made him block them with the DJ the Party move, which immediately reminded him how he had won their first spar. He jumped back, getting himself some space before using the Stamp the Bow move, which sent her flying across the room, sliding over the shiny wooden floor. He heard her breathing heavily and for a moment he wondered if he had hurt her.

She laid on her back, trying to catch her breath. Indeed, the blow hit her full on the chest and she had a little trouble focusing, getting light-headed. Branch leaned on her, looking worried. She was about to blow him away when she realized he had been smarter and was holding her hair down with his own. Well, she could defend herself without the hair.

Wrapping both her legs around his midsection, locking her ankles so he couldn't escape, she pushed him forward, straightening her legs, crushing him in the process. She let her lips curl in a winning smirk when he realized he was on top, but he was losing. With a transition move, she grabbed his collar with her right hand and his elbow with her left, she uncrossed her ankles and pushed herself up, pulling his knee down, so she could switch positions.

She placed both knees on his sides, with one hand holding his chest firmly on the ground and the other ready to take a blow if she wanted. By his stunned face, she knew she had won. She let him go, lying down next to him, both breathing hard. He was still surprised and she was laughing, tiredly.

"How did you do that?"

"Ground-fighting." She explained. "Quite useful when the hair is blocked."

"You need to teach me these things." He sat up, looking down at her. "I'll need to know everything about defense as soon as possible."

"It's not like you'll engage in a real fight, we have time." She found his face still very amusing.

"No, we don't, because we just found out a certain pink queen swallowed up the strings and somehow needs protection from-hair-knows-what!"

"Oh Branch," She laughed, standing up. Again, she was dismissing his worries as if they were nothing. "It's not like the others need to know about it."

"I'm not sure about that, like I said, I don't trust that old lady."

"Oh, you're so cute when you're worried!" She grabbed his cheek with her fingers, pinching him like a baby. "I'm going to shower before lunch. Sandwiches will be fine." And she just walked back to the cabin, hopping happily like she usually did in the morning.

Branch watched her go, still on the floor. So, that's how she got all that energy.


	6. The Strings Origin

Branch looked annoyed at Poppy, who was whistling right behind him. He brushed the snow off his hair and resumed the walk towards Miss Guffin's cabin. Another snowball hit him on his back and he heard Poppy giggling. He groaned and looked back at her, getting hit again on the face.

"I don't think it's time to play." He said, trying to keep serious and not to get involved in a snowball fight with her.

"Oh, I guess you're right." Despite saying that, she threw another one, which he blocked with his hair.

"Are you going to stop this?" He asked, crossing his arms and taking a deep breath, as if to keep himself calm.

"Yes... No." Another snowball. And she just wouldn't stop because teasing him was so fun. She felt a cold blow on her face. Caught by surprise, she stared blankly at him. Ohhh, he was going down. "I'm going to wreck your world!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Branch had to admit he was having fun. In the middle of the tense subject about the Strings, she was pretty much herself, no side effects so far and they were doing exactly what he hoped they would do during their weekend off: to get Poppy some time off. He realized he was actually winning the snowball fight. That was a first. Somehow she managed to win... well, everything...always. She was a great strategist; he wondered if she learned that from the mentorship.

About half an hour later, they both were laughing, sitting down against a tree trunk, their hair wet and cheeks flushed.

"You're incredible, do you know that?" Branch caught himself saying before he could stop himself.

"Why is that?" She managed to ask, trying to control her giggles.

"I'd be terrified if I were in your place." He said, suddenly getting serious. "I don't know how you're so happy all the time." Her smile failed a little. He watched her blinking with those long lashes a few times. Her cheeks glistened when her glitter freckles reflected the sun.

"Well... smiles can fix anything." She leaned her head on his shoulder, her hair was tickling his neck. He really wanted to kiss her like  _ that _ again.

"Poppy... hm..." He trailed off, making her look up at him again. "May I... hm... I want to... I mean, I would like to..." He saw her smiling shyly, her chin a bit inclined down and her eyes fixed on his. She looked adorable. "May I kiss you?"

"Branch..." she whispered and he watched her eyes trailing from his eyes to his mouth. "You don't have to ask." He had this weak feeling on his knees and his heart started beating loudly again. She had just given him full permission to kiss her any time he wanted. He reached forward and met her slightly parted lips with his. He lifted his hand, caressing her cheek with his thumb. She wasn't leading the kiss like the night before, he realized she was waiting for him to guide her the way he wanted.

He gently prodded his tongue against her lips, parting them to meet her sweet taste. He felt her sighing happily against his lips and relaxed. He was doing it right. She was enjoying his kiss! Becoming a little bolder, he let his hands slide down to push her against him by the waist. He realized the way they were kissing was another battle between them, which made him view it under a whole different light.

"Are you going to stay there forever?" They broke apart when they heard Miss Guffin's voice coming from the front door. They hadn't realized they had already arrived at her cabin. Exchanging a nervous look, they stood up and marched towards the blue-haired mentor, who didn't look happy at all. They took their coats off and followed her to the kitchen, where her table was covered with piles of books. "First things first." She announced in a sweet voice, turning to the stove where she had a steaming teapot. Branch thought it weird when she put the teacups on the table and Poppy was the one who mindlessly poured them, serving Branch and her mentor. "I know you're not married."

Branch choked on his tea, burning his tongue. He refrained himself from saying anything and let Poppy take the lead. It was her lie, after all.

"We're married." Poppy reassured her, blowing her tea to cool it down before taking a sip.

"A husband asking permission to kiss? No rings? Don't take me for a fool." Poppy visibly stiffed at that, but kept buying time with her tea.

"With all due respect, our intimacy is none of your business." Branch was the one who answered. Miss Guffin frowned at him, he could see she was about to spit fire and Poppy just went a shade pinker.

"What a regrettable choice you've made, Poppy." Miss Guffin looked back to her pupil, ignoring Branch. Her voice just turned a bit sweeter. "I'm sure Queen Pippi is turning over in her grave." Branch felt like covering his ears. Poppy sat stunned, her mouth hanging open and she was having a hard time controlling her breath.

"Can we focus on the practical matter, here?" Branch was the one to break the awkward silence. "Like... Poppy and the Strings?"

"You're right." The mentor put her tea down and looked at the books. Branch looked down at the piles, but got interrupted by Miss Guffin slamming a heavy book down. "This is what I found."

The page was much like King Peppy' scrapbook. Six trolls, representing six tribes when each got their String and found their way out of silence, but instead of turning the page forward, Miss Guffin turned a page back and revealed a troll with rainbow colored hair.

"Oh, I thought everybody was... gray..." Poppy realized that now  _ gray _ had a double meaning for her and tried not to blush. "before music was created."

"Exactly: in the beginning there was silence until this troll made a sound. He wanted to make everybody as happy as he was and so he forged the Strings with his own Happiness and gave them to our ancestors, to inspire them."

"Oh, I like this version." Poppy leaned over, paying attention.

"But there was this tribe that the Strings didn't inspire, they were sad, gloomy. The Rainbow troll tried but no kind of music could touch their hearts. It’s said that he vowed to find a way to make them Happy, but apparently he never succeeded..." Miss Guffin said, closing the book.

"What about the Strings? How do I get them out?" Poppy paced around the kitchen, obviously shaken by the news. So there was a gray tribe out there? "Can I create them with my own Happiness like he did?"

"I'm afraid it's not written down how to make the Strings, so I have no clue how to get them out." Miss Guffin sat down, scratching her oversized cheeks. "But I'll keep with the research."

"I'm taking a few books as well." Poppy announced. "If we team up we can find the answers faster."

"I've read them all." The mentor announced. "But I have a few books in my private library that may be useful. Here," She handed Poppy a small list in a piece of paper. "Go get them while I have a word with the husband-guy."

"It's Branch." He said, stuffing out his chest in defiance. Poppy looked lost for a moment, torn between giving them privacy and stopping whatever Miss Guffin had planned on telling him. "You can go, Poppy."

"Okay..." She hesitantly turned around and left the cabin, going to the library that was placed in another wooden structure inside the queen-training complex.

"I need you to monitor Poppy." Miss Guffin suddenly said, making Branch look at her in confusion. "Report each change, each suspicious attitude, each mood. Keep her gem with you, it will most likely mirror her emotions."

"Why?" Branch still didn't get the point.

"This is the first time it happened. The Strings are powerful and I can't imagine what kind of effects it will have on her. If we keep track then maybe we can find a way to get them out..." Miss Guffin trailed off... her eyes fixed on the fireplace and the room’s air felt dense. "... is she Happy?" She asked, looking at Branch.

"I don't know anybody happier." He couldn't help but smile. Her laugh was the most wonderful thing...

"That doesn't tell much." Miss Guffin said, making Branch go quiet. "Those Strings are powerful, I don't know who might want to take advantage of her situation so... " She looked up at him with a serious face. "Either she gets those Strings out or she will have to watch her back forever."

"I found a very cool book!" Poppy came back, startling both trolls who had been inside. "Look, Branch." She opened the book with old paintings and photographs in front of him. "It's my family tree. My dad, my grandma Pippi - who I'm sure is not turning in her grave, by the way - my great-grandpa Pappy, my ancestor Loppy and..."

Meanwhile, Miss Guffin wrote down a note and went to her front door. With a whistle, a yellow critter showed up, took the note and flew off. Branch looked up from Poppy's book to see what she was doing.

"I'm sorry, Poppy, but I must call Fern into this." She said, closing the door behind her.

"No!" Poppy protested. "Branch and I can handle this on our own."

"Yes..." Branch could swear he saw Miss Guffin's eyes focusing on his lack of muscles. "I'm sure he can." Was that sarcasm? "Fern is coming and that's final." Poppy was about to protest again when her mentor narrowed her eyes and said in a hiss. "Poppy, ENOUGH."

Poppy's shoulders fell. Her eyes focused on her feet. Even her hair looked a bit down. Branch couldn't believe his eyes. That woman had to be very special to Poppy to make her go quiet. He also remembered vaguely when he had said those same words to her, when they had just escaped the Rock Trolls in Vibe City and she so desperately wanted to help the Funk tribe. Those same words had made her stop everything and listen to him.

"I'm taking this one, if you don't mind." Poppy said, picking up a book that she had brought and made her way to the door, putting on her coat. Branch went after her, glancing back at the old lady for a second. Poppy walked back calmly through the path back to their cabin, completely silent. "Here," She said, giving him the book once they walked inside. "I'm going to pamper you a little."

"What?" He was lost at that. She went straight to the second floor, making noises that indicated the bathroom door opening and the tub filling. The book on his hands was Pride and Prejudice. It didn't take long for her to come down again with his Bunker List on her hands.

"Let's get bath part over with." She announced. "And then you start reading the Trollmance novel cover to cover."

"I have taken a bath..." He said, looking annoyed. He had filled his self-build stone tub when he was raising the birds. It was much easier to wash the three of them at the same time there.

"A proper bath." She emended. "Just go up there and see."

He wanted to ask so many questions, he wanted to hug her, he wanted to understand what was going on between her and her mentor that seemed to make her always on the edge, but instead he just did as he was told to.

She knew how to impress him. There was floral scent all over the bathroom. She had lit candles that were placed all over the counter. The lights were dim and the water steaming. Now he knew why she took so long in there.

OooooooOooooOOoooooOoooooOOoooooOOooooOOoooOOooooOooooOooooOoooOooOo

Poppy was reading that black covered book when he came down, looking cleaner than ever. She grinned at him, knowing exactly how he was feeling. At the table, another marvelous dinner was waiting for him: sweet potato with coconut curry. His mouth watered. He was being spoiled indeed. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

"Where were you hiding those cooking abilities?" He asked, sitting down in front of her. He picked up a plate, which she immediately took from his hand to fill it up for him before giving it back, then she put some food on her own plate.

"They were never hidden." She replied with a satisfied smile. "You never had dinner with me in my pod." He wasn't satisfied with the answer, but the food was so delicious he couldn't help but let the subject drop so he could concentrate on the explosion of different tastes in his mouth.

"You are so smart I can't help but to think that there's a whole river between us." Branch said, looking down at the wonderful meal he had just had.

"You're very smart yourself." She replied with a soft smile.

"Just look at you: you sing, you fight, you play, you dance, you know about romance novels, you know about wine, you cook incredibly well... " She cocked her head to one side, before answering him.

"It took me five years with that crazy mentor breathing down my neck to get to know these things. You are a self taught genius. You've built a bunker, you programmed a smart home! You build things! We're both smarts in different subjects.". Their hug watch went off and she stood up, walking around the table. He pushed his chair to welcome her embrace.

To his surprise, she grinned and sat on his lap, both her legs hung on his left as her arms went around him. Her cheek pressed against his and her hug was so tight he could feel the warmth of her body against his. He felt heavy from the bath and dinner. He let his nose breath in her hair, feeling welcome like he never had before. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, connecting his lips to her neck, feeling her tense up, but he didn't stop. She shivered under his touch, but it only encouraged him to go further.

He planted another kiss on the same spot and he heard her sighing happily. His hands unconsciously wrapped around her waist. Another kiss a little higher and another just under her ear. He felt her hands curling into fists, grabbing his sweater silently. His lips traveled to her cheek and down her chin. Their eyes met and after what seemed an eternity, he met her parted lips with his. This time it wasn't soft and innocent, it was needy and demanding. It was a completely different kiss.

He broke apart before things got out of control. She rested her forehead against his, both breathing heavily, with their eyes closed.

"I think I should go shower." She blinked a few times, trying to get herself back into the real world. He put his hands down, allowing her to stand. She seemed confused for a second, as if realizing she was standing in the middle of a cabin with him. She picked her book and slowly climbed up the stairs, smiling shyly at him along the way.

Poppy closed the bedroom door and leaned against it, sighing happily. She slid down and hugged her legs, resting her forehead on her knees. Branch was an awesome kisser. She was so glad she could help him out of his shell, even if she was feeling timid herself. She really, really, wanted to be with him.

_ "Now... you're starting to listen to your heart." _


	7. The Luthier

The Rockers stopped the Angus Bus in front of a cave. The mouth unzipped and Barb jumped on the stone ground along with Riff. She laughed and bumped her fists with him before entering the dark cave. She held the broken skull guitar in her hands.

"Hey, man!" She called in her carefree way. A small candle light appeared right in front of her. Then another one followed, instructing the way she was supposed to go. It was Riff's first time in the cave and he put his hands on her shoulder; his knees were shaking with fear. "He's cool, man, relax." Barb said.

"Have you used the strings as you liked?" A dark, smooth voice asked. It seemed to come from every direction, being echoed through the walls.

"We had a small problem on the way." She took another step and Riff saw a troll sitting down in the middle of the floor. "But it's cool, I'm here to pay you for the damage."

"Damage..." He picked the guitar that was broken in two pieces. "Who broke it?"

"Nah, Pop Queen got all feisty about the Strings and smashed them. So, how much?"

"Where are the Strings?"

"Gone, just poof. Disappeared."

The troll stood up, coming into the light for a brief moment. Riff saw his wrinkled gray skin and his white hair. His eyes had no pupils, which made the rocker look away. The gray troll took a deep breath and held it. When he exhaled he smirked.

"Have you touched the Strings?"

"I had to get them... so... yeah." Barb scratched her Mohawk in confusion. "Go on, man, I don't have all day. How much?

"It's free. You just made things easier." He stepped into the shadows once more.

"Hm..." Barb watched as the troll disappeared and crossed her arms, really confused. "I thought he was going to be furious."

"Can we go now, your rockness? I have a creepy feeling about this place."

"Don't be a baby." Barb said, still looking curiously at the cave before turning around and leaving.

oooooOooooOOoooOOoooOoooOOooOOooOOooOooOOoOOooOoooooOOOOoooOoooOoo

Poppy woke up feeling uneasy. She blushed remembering the heated kiss she had shared with Branch before bedtime. She had slept extra early because of the sensations it triggered her. Chocolate and sleep were always the best medicine for... well... everything. The sun was just about to rise, from what she could see in the horizon. The blue sky was light and the glass window felt chilly under her touch. She decided to stay in bed a little longer, so she rolled over in her covers and picked the book from the nightstand. She was already about to finish the second volume and somehow she felt incredibly happy when Grey proposed to Ana. The whole game they played was very... instructive and made her feel uneasy again, like she was reading something she wasn't supposed to.

Somehow she couldn't take her head out of the story. The ideas that were formed in her mind were like boiling rushing that culminated in heated cheeks and made her press her legs tightly shut. She sighed, pushing the feelings away and concentrating on the romantic part.

Time passed and she didn't even realize the sun was already high, indicating it was about mid-morning. Her stomach made a noise to warn her she had eaten nothing for several hours. From her window she saw the gym door open, which meant Branch was already outside. Anxious to meet him, she quickly dressed and brushed her teeth, ignoring breakfast.

"Morning!" She said, cheerfully.

"Morning," He smiled at her, stopping kicking the punching-bag.

She realized she didn't have a particular subject to talk with him; she just wanted to stay close.

"So..." She began, walking towards him with her hands on her back. "Since today is our last day here, I thought we could have some fun."

"Yeah... about that..." Branch's smile failed him, "I was wondering if we could stay another couple of days."

"What? No! Branch, no!" She shook her head. They couldn't stay there. Fern was coming and she had a kingdom to run!

"Just two days, I'm sure I can come up with a plan to protect you while we try to take the Strings out."

"I'm not staying." She declared, turning around, getting ready to leave, "And I can protect myself. I won't be the princess stuck in a tower."

"I know you can protect yourself." He ran after her, feeling the cold snow under his bare feet. He had taken his shoes off to practice and suddenly he regretted it. He put a hand on her shoulder, making her turn around to face him. She was a mix of furious and sad. "I just wish you'd let me be the knight for once..." Her face softened. The tension left her shoulders and for a second, he thought he saw her eyes watering up. He was about to apologize when he saw a flash of golden hair coming from the path that led to Miss Guffin's cabin. He knew who it was. "or... the husband."

Before she could ask what he was talking about, he put both his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. He didn't want to waste any time with simple touches so he took her surprised gasp to deepen the kiss, inserting his tongue inside her mouth. He wasn't prepared for when her knees gave out and both landed on the floor, with the thick snow on her back and their fronts pressed against each other.

She closed her eyes, moaning in delight. Their mouths battled passionately but that wasn't enough. He felt when her legs parted under him and she rubbed her inner thigh against his, encouraging to build up a fire that wasn't there before. He desperately needed to hold her, so he allowed his hands to go down her sides, holding her still by the waist while feeling her own arms wrapping around him.

Poppy was in heaven, she never thought he would tackle her down in a kiss like that. He was getting bold and she just loved it. Unfortunately, her heavenly state didn't last long. She felt him biting her lower lip when she heard steps approaching and, slowly opening her eyes, she saw Fern standing right there, looking down at them disconcertedly. She was about to push Branch away when she felt his lips turning into a smile against hers.

She felt betrayed. Branch had seen Fern coming. That kiss was just a fake one to sustain the marriage façade. He broke them apart, pretending to see his rival for the first time. He helped her up and she said nothing to him.

"I'm sorry for interrupting." Fern said, smiling down at her and opening his arms. She signed and gave him a hug. A hug - which Branch noticed - was far from warm as he supposed it was going to be.

"Branch this is Fern, Fern, this is my... husband... Branch." Poppy introduced them, expecting them to cordially shake hands, but neither moved. She felt her clothes wet from the snow and started shaking. "I'm just about to have breakfast, would you like to join?"

"Sure, I need some protein."

Oh, he wouldn't let them alone not even for a second. Branch quickly grabbed his shoes and ran back to the cabin, meeting Poppy when she was pouring Fern a cup of cappuccino. She poured him a cup of black coffee and tea for herself. The teal troll sat down as close to her as he could, trying to find her hands under the table.

They talked about the training, how she was practicing, if she ever had to use the ancient art of hair fighting to protect her kingdom. Branch put himself in the spectator’s place once more. Poppy was smiling a little nervous, as if she wanted Fern to go away at once, but at the same time, being polite as usual.

"Mom told me about your... issue." Fern said. "You may need some assistance."

"I'm sure Branch and I can manage on our own."

"That's what I said to mom!" He laughed, getting a smile out of Poppy in return. They quieted down again and Fern turned to look at him. "She's a golden girl; You're lucky, Branch." Poppy blushed at the compliment, her eyes quickly met her boyfriend's. "I better go."

Maybe Fern wasn't that bad. Branch stood at the door, while Poppy walked him to the edge of the woods. He could listen to what they were saying to one another.

"I'm sorry, but I have to say it." Fern kept his eyes on the ground, and Poppy looked in the opposite direction. "You're gorgeous."

"Thank you." Poppy replied quietly.

"He's very fortunate to have you." He tried to keep the conversation, but she didn't indulge. Branch crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. Good girl.

"Bye." She stopped walking. Fern just smiled and waved at her, resuming his walk. Poppy turned around and marched straight to Branch, whose smile vanished as soon as he saw how angry she looked at him. "You kissed me because you saw Fern coming!" She accused him.

"I... hm... er..." He lifted his arms trying to come up with a good answer.

"When you kiss me like that..." Her voice failed, "Please, mean it." She brushed past him, dashing upstairs and closing the bedroom's door behind her.

Branch panicked. She was upset! His mind flashed the moment when she turned gray and his heart squeezed inside his chest. That kiss had been so wonderful, despite his intentions at the beginning. He felt daring and powerful when she melted against him. He just couldn't let her misunderstand him. He had meant it.

The door opened again and he heard her coming down once more. Their eyes met for a brief moment. She was holding a towel, a bathrobe, she had her yellow bathing suit in another hand and her fluffy white coat.

"Where are you going?" He asked quizzically.

"To boost my mood." It was evident in her voice a hint of annoyance. "And you're welcome to tag along." She didn't wait for him, though. He followed, noticing how the critters flew worriedly around her. She went around the gym, following the edge of the woods. Branch made a mental note that she turned left and after a few minutes the snow thinned and the weather seemed to become warmer. She sat down over a rock and folded her clothes. "Turn around, please." She said, making him blush, but he obeyed her anyway. After a few moments he heard a splash.

"Hot springs!"

"The boys' area is over there!"

He flipped with joy and climbed on the rocks, seeing her leaning backwards to get her hair wet. Branch knew he was indeed lucky to have her. He had been insensitive earlier and she just pushed it aside to make him happy...

Two big stones separated the pools. His side was way bigger than hers. He quickly took his clothes off, throwing them on the floor, but within reach. He didn't know there was a place to swim in the middle of the snow so we didn't have his swim shorts - or his life jacket - with him. Still, there was no way he was going to miss that taste of paradise.

"No peeking!" He called to Poppy who just giggled before splashing again.

Branch wanted to jump in, but safety first! He didn't know how deep the pool was, so he put a foot inside and sunk. It was waist-deep, not enough for cannonball. Anyway, he was happy just like that. Leaning against the rock, he heard Poppy humming happily on the other side.

"How many items have you completed in your Bunker List?" Poppy asked after a while.

"Not many, but I'm keeping The glitterfish and wash Cooper items checked. There is no way I'm doing them again." He found a place to sit and sighed happily.

"Fair enough."

"Hey..." He called her after a moment of silence. "Wanna play a game?"

"What game?" Her voice indicated she was interested in hearing him out.

"Questioning game."

"...ok."

"I'll go first: What book are you reading?" He heard her choking.

"hmm... Just an instructions book."

"Liar! You'd never read instructions!"

"Oh, I would." He heard her holding a laugh. "My turn: Besides swing-dancing in your bathroom, what's the weirdest thing you've ever done in the bunker days?"

"I..." That was a tricky question. "I think it was when I finished programming Gary. I made a crib so I could watch him all night." He heard her laughing loudly. "What makes you happy?"

"Duh, being a good queen!"

"That's a job, I mean personal."

"Being with you!" She answered pronto, not giving it a second thought. He blushed, realizing it was a perfect answer. "What makes you happy?"

"Your food." He joked, making her laugh again. "Being with you makes me really happy." It crossed his mind Miss Guffin's question: if she was happy. Then he got it. "What does 'happiness' mean to you?"

"It means a peaceful kingdom, a cute boyfriend and lots of parties!"

"But..." He corrected her, "Those are external things that make you happy. I mean true happiness, the thing that is born within, you know..." She fell silent on the other side. He heard the water bubbling, noticing she stopped splashing around. Maybe she was deep in thought or maybe she had fallen asleep.

"Can you give me an example?" She finally asked.

"Well, let's see..." He began. " For me happiness is a moment that counts for itself; a moment that I'd wish it could repeat endlessly. A moment that could make me wish I could live forever just to keep living it over and over again."

"So..." He heard her sighing. "Happiness is a moment."

"Yes, I think it is. Sadness is also a moment. You need to know one to know the other."

"Tell me a happy moment." She suddenly demanded, making him blush.

"When we first hugged, it felt like you were able to undo a very tight knot inside me. You managed to open a door from which I could see the world's beauty." He said, his voice trailing off. "I wish I could live in that hug forever."

"You do have the soul of a poet." He heard her voice just above him. Gasping and covering his parts, he lowered into the water. "Oh, relax, it's not like I can see anything." She chuckled and moved to climb down to her side once again. Call it fate, call it cliché, call it awkward. She managed to slip down, having her foot sliding over the mossy rock she had been perching herself. Poppy rolled over and fell right next to him, swallowing a lot of water when she gasped in surprise.

Quickly, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her up. She broke the surface coughing violently, holding a fist to her mouth. He guided her to the rock he had been sitting on, patting on her back. Clumsy as always.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking worriedly at her.

"I ruined your poet vibe, I'm sorry." She smiled, looking up at him. Her magenta eyes met his blue ones and she realized where she was. Poppy blushed and stood up.

"You're hurt." Branch said, looking at her scrapped shoulder. Just then she noticed it was bleeding. "It's not deep." He brushed a finger near the wound, just to have an excuse to touch her.

"Branch, I..." She didn't know what she was going to say, she just wanted to feel his name coming out of her lips while standing incredibly close to him. She licked her bottom lip, with her eyes fixed on his. She could feel her sanity slowly slipping away as he caressed her cheek with a gentle finger. His eyes found her mouth fascinating.

He covered her mouth with his, putting one hand behind her neck and pushing her close, leaving her lips for a moment to nibble at her jaw, making her shiver a delicious sensation, and then invading her mouth once again. He was feeling incredibly powerful, she could feel it, he was taking charge just by seeing her becoming pudding in his hands.

Poppy allowed him to explore. Her own arms wrapping comfortably around his shoulders, with her hands caressing the back of his neck. She moaned loudly when he bit her lower lip like he had done the last time. His hands found her hips and pushed her against him. Her eyes shot open. She could feel  _ it _ . She felt exactly how 'happy' he was. She was terrified, but at the same time his kiss was so hot and promising.

He was tucking at the yellow strap of her bathing suit and she panicked. It wasn't going to happen in a hot spring. She wanted it on her bed, where they could cuddle afterwards. Somehow, his hands found hers and pinned them on each side of her head against the wet stone. Their lips continued their battle and she unconsciously wrapped her legs around him. That caught his attention and he quickly broke them apart.

"We should stop..." He whispered against her lips.

"Yes, maybe we should." She didn't move. Branch was the one to step back, blushing and looking away. He felt the water moving in small waves, indicating she had just gotten out. He saw the top of her hair while she moved around beyond the stones, out of his sight. "Here," She said, placing a dry towel over the rock. "I'll get lunch started."

And he couldn't argue with her, but at the moment, food was the last thing on his mind.


	8. Happiness!

**A/N - This chapter has adult content. The scene is between this "xx-xx" decorations to make it easier for you to skip it.**

Branch heard noises coming from the gym. He frowned. He could see Poppy preparing lunch from the kitchen window and cursed himself. He had let his guard down. The perimeter wasn't secure because he wasn't paying attention to it, focusing his surveillance on unexplored territories with a certain pink queen.

He bent his knees and approached the door, trying to see the size of the intruder he had to face. Just then he realized that he needed a battle plan. He had no idea if someone would actually attack Poppy because of the Strings within her. Maybe inside his bunker was the safest place for her to be, but surely she wouldn't agree with him. He might as well capture the intruder and go for some old interrogation techniques.

"Fern?" Branch relaxed that it wasn't a deadly enemy, but seeing the blond troll grunting as he lifted too many weight plates visibly made him uneasy. How strong was that guy, anyway?

"Hey" He put the weight down, stopping the chest press workout and sat on the bench. "Sorry, it's been so long that I have been here, I had to try these out. Besides, I need to get my eight hours of daily workout to keep in shape." Eight hours lifting weight? Branch made a quick math: he had his chores to do, then his time with Poppy, then puzzle time, sleep, then... okay, he would never work out for eight hours.

"Sure..." Branch really wanted to tell him to go away, but he had a sudden realization that he may indeed need help protecting Poppy so he had to go for a different plan of action. "Listen, Poppy told me you trained her."

"Yeah, I trained queens and kings for years." He dried his face with a towel. "Until business got bad for mom and I decided to open my own gym, you know."

"Really?" Branch got a little excited about that.

"Yeah, at the base of the peaks." Fern narrowed his eyes. "You're welcome to learn some old mixed martial arts if you want."

"Nah, Poppy already took me as her pupil for Hair-jitsu."

"What?!" Fern almost dropped the bar with the plates. He looked at the cabin, seeing Poppy cooking, oblivious to what was going on. "She wasn't supposed to do that! Hair-jistu is an ancient troll art of hair-fighting! I took a vow to teach it only for royal pupils so they would protect their people."

"Well, I'm the one who watches everybody's backs in the village." Branch raised his shoulders.

"And... her husband." Fern eyed him suspiciously. Branch scratched his hair, awkwardly. "All right. Let's see what you've got."

Branch gulped.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Your rockness?" Riff knocked on Barb's door, listening to her playing from outside. She didn't answer him, so he opened the door anyway. "You're stress-playing, again."

"It's none of your business." Barb jumped on the couch, playing some raging solo.

"I know, but..."

"What, Riff?" Barb threw her guitar away, crossing her arms.

"I wanted to talk about that weird dude in the cave."

"The luthier? He's just some old... all right, I'm stressing about him as well." Barb finally said, sighing and pushing her ears. "I just don't get why he wouldn't accept the payment."

"I think he wanted the Strings for himself, which is why he gave you the guitar."

"I'm under that impression as well. What I don't get is why he seemed happy to know the Strings are gone."

"Should we tell the others?" Riff pushed the hat away from his eyes. "The other leaders, I mean."

"We messed up big this time." Barb said, pushing herself up and going for another guitar.

_ "I need the Pop Queen." _

"What did you say?" Barb asked Riff, who was just leaving the room. He turned around and looked at her, puzzled.

"I didn't say anything."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Branch kneeled on the ground, panting. Sweat trailed down his forehead, his neck and arms. He felt sore and he could point a few bruises starting to show. His eyes were fixed on Fern, who had a similar grin on his face, satisfied with the tie in their match.

Fern took his time teaching how to throw a decent punch, how to surprise the enemy and how to effectively immobilize hair to avoid a hairball-duken move. He was a good teacher, his methods were straight-forward, different from Poppy's lessons, but he just figured they didn't have the time to patiently rehearse each attack like Poppy did.

"I'm curious about ground-fighting." Branch said, trying to catch his breath. "How long do you think it's going to take for me to learn?"

"I don't know about ground-fighting." Fern said, a little suspicious.

Branch dismissed the subject realizing his mistake. Poppy didn't learn those techniques from Fern... why would she train something her master didn't know?

Anyway, Fern seemed to be a very nice guy! And his jabs hurt a lot...

ooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooo

Poppy gasped seeing Branch entering the cabin. He had a lump on his cheek and his hair was twisted backwards. She almost dropped the risotto all over the table, but had time to put the hot pan down and save their lunch.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly, immediately fetching some ice.

"I was sparring with Fern." He sighed, ashamed.

"What?! Branch!" She scolded him, but kept her irritation in check when he winced in pain.

"It wasn't so bad, I think I impressed him." Poppy helped him down on the chair by the table. "He even said he'd teach me a few techniques."

"I'm sure he would." Poppy checked on his wounds. Indeed, they could have been worse. She stood up again, resuming her chores. "I suppose you didn't tell him we're going back today."

"Listen to me, please." Branch pressed the ice against his swollen cheek. Hearing him say it like that reminded her when they fought and he went away. He accused her of never listening to him and he had been right. She would never make him feel like she didn't value him again. "Give me two days, Poppy, please."

"On one condition." She didn't turn around to look at him, she finished placing their meals on the plates. When he didn't object, she continued, "You use that radio and talk to Prince D, inform him we're staying a little longer, please, check on my dad. He had a trip planned..."

"I was already going to do that." He smiled thankfully at her. He licked his lips when he saw the beautiful dish she had placed in front of him. They ate, exchanging a few glances and smiles here and there. Blushing eventually when their memories flashed their previous activities. "I'll do the dishes." He announced. He had to do something for her. They had been on that trip so she could relax and he had the feeling that he was the one being taken care of.

"I'll catch up with some reading." She yawned. He put her empty plate in the sink and picked a mug of coffee she had just prepared. She blew him a kiss and went straight to her room.

Branch felt his cheek stinging. He stood up and went straight to the radio, trying to call Prince D. He poured himself some coffee as well, waiting for D to pick up. When he had some response he noticed the signal was poor and he couldn't understand the person on the other side. He left the cabin, trying to get a better reception.

"D? Can you hear me?"

"Oh, now I can." He heard the answer and sighed. He had to stand on top of a rock, over a hill several feet away from the cabin. "What's up, Branch?"

"I want to check on you guys. Poppy's worried about King Peppy."

"He's having a blast being in charge again." He heard D laughing and recognized Cooper's laugh as well. "He had this pie eating contest and I won!" Cooper said.

"He messed up in class, though." It was Guy Diamond's turn to say. Branch wondered how many of them were listening.

"He told the kids the other tribes were weird. It took me five scrapbooks to revert the kid's minds." Smidge said.

"Can you hang in there two more days?" Branch asked, getting a dramatic silence from the other side.

"Sure, but...was it Poppy's idea?"

"No, it was mine, but she agreed... after much insistence."

"Will you be back for the wedding?" Smidge probably got the hint that something wasn't quite right as it should be.

"Yes, I just figured she needs more time to relax." He smiled. "She wouldn't miss your wedding." In the end, he didn't have big news to tell Poppy, except King Peppy was going to a Bergen retirement home supervision trip and would be gone for about two weeks, the Snack Pack would take over things until the queen returned. Everything sounded under control. He had to admit he was enjoying being there alone with her and would love to stretch it for months if he could.

Branch looked forward to the vastness in front of him. What a view. It was like the white fluffy snow created a world of its own, involving him in calmness and in a soothing feeling. It was like there were no problems, no potentially dangerous gray trolls, no mentor to doubt if he was suitable to be a good consort. At least, absorbing the Strings didn't seem to cause any side effects on Poppy.

He carried the radio back in its place and something on the kitchen table caught his eyes. It was a blue and red envelope with a heart sealing it close. He frowned and opened it. A scrapbooked invitation popped up. A small Poppy character said in a squeaky voice: "you're invited!" another character "To my bedroom!" and yet another character "To... dot… dot... dot...", he was too shocked to pull back in time to avoid the glitter explosion on his face.

Now he completely got what a Troll Freak Out meant. He brushed his teeth; checked his armpits and decided to take another shower; his face wasn't as swollen as before, but still he put a patch just so it wouldn't be distracting. He ironed his underwear, combed his hair, cursed himself for not having a cologne (why had he never made one?); checked if his socks had no holes on them... and he was running out of things to do. He was procrastinating.

**xx-xx**

Branch stopped. Inhale. Exhale. He knocked on her closed door. His heart felt tight. The door suddenly opened and Poppy stood there, blushing and smiling shyly. He noticed her eyes looked particularly more beautiful when she blushed. She was as nervous as he was, still holding the door half open.

"I thought you wouldn't come." She said, breathily.

He didn't answer her with words. He just wanted to touch those burning cheeks. Unconsciously, he put his hands on her face, feeling her blushing even more under his tender caress. She closed her eyes and leaned against his palm, feeling his soft breath fanning her lips. She felt a feather-light kiss on her cheeks, then on her eyes and her nose, just then he dove in for deeper kiss, catching her mouth with his, inhaling sharply, as if he had to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Poppy took a step backwards, allowing him into the room. He held her tightly; his hands caressing the length of her back. He got courageous and took two more steps into the room, feeling when her knees met the edge of the bed. She barely noticed when his hands started working on her scarf, then unzipped her sweater. She was too overwhelmed by the hot kiss to even feel when he stripped her from her the thick wool fabric.

It was getting warmer in the room, so he pulled his own sweatshirt off, resuming the grabbing and the kissing. He pressed against her more and gasped, falling backwards on the bed. Under normal circumstances she would have laughed at her clumsiness, but it was impossible with him falling down on top of her. The mattress adjusted to their weight, as she did, feeling him covering every curve.

She felt something pushing against her and her mind went blank in surprise. Maybe it was getting a little too real and ringing a bell that she was just going to experience what she had been reading in the past couple of days. He left her lips and gently kissed her neck, getting her lips to curl in a smile and her legs to move apart so he could settle in between them.

He moved up, allowing her hands to grip on the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head. He thought she would give him the chance to do the same, but she sat up and undressed her shirt quickly, pushing him against her before he had the chance to admire the view. He also felt her hands working anxiously on the buttons of his pants, his own hand found her hips and the elastic band of her sweatpants.

With all layers removed, with their arms around each other and their faces incredibly close and a deep gaze that could reach each others' souls, they realized how spectacularly life-changing the moment was. They mirrored each other's smiles, awkwardly not knowing who should make the first move to hair-knows-what.

Poppy lifted her face off the pillow, bringing her lips to brush softly against his, before caressing the base of his ears.

"I love you." She whispered and bit her lower lip, seeing he was having trouble fighting a few overwhelming tears. "We were made for each other."

"I love you, too." Branch lowered his lips to hers, wrapping his arms protectively around her and instinctively pushing. He buried his nose between her neck and shoulder, breathing in her scent. He was immediately transported to the best definition of heaven he had experienced, hearing her gasp his name. He felt the tips of her fingers digging into his back and it only made it all more intense.

She felt his teeth on her neck and somehow she lost track of where she was and even who she was. She just wanted to feel him and he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking because everything he did just felt right. Their skins touching everywhere reachable made it impossible for her to keep silent. He had to know she was enjoying it, so she allowed herself a single pleased moan.

And he kissed her again and moved and kissed repeatedly until everything exploded in a million shiny dots. When she opened her eyes, coming down wherever she had been, she met his eyes and his radiant smile. It was almost like he wouldn't believe what he had just done. She hooked her legs higher and pushed him down to a breathtaking kiss. He moved again and again. She watched him battling himself until he tensed, coming down on her, boneless, a few moments later. She understood that smile just then. She was really proud of herself, too.

"Nap?" She asked, brushing her fingers to his sweaty forehead. He nodded, moving so they were both facing each other with their limbs tangled and eyes losing battle to sleep. Just before dozing off she could swear she heard a tune...

**xx-xx**

The sunset was beautiful in the mountains. An orange light brightened up the room when Branch woke up. He had never felt more joyful in his life. Looking to his left, he found the source of his happiness sleeping soundly with her head halfway on his chest. He kissed the corner of her lip, making it turn into a smile.

He didn't want to wake her just yet. She looked so peaceful he could watch her forever. He shifted, trying to get in a more comfortable position. Poppy moved, her head fell back on the pillow, but her legs remained over his. He looked around, seeing the black covered book on the nightstand.

Instructions, hn? He turned a few pages. It was easy literature from what he could see. Why was she reading such a cheap novel when she just made him read about a grumpy Mr. Darcy who seemed to be sending mixed signals to Elizabeth in a very confusing dance of families and egos... wait a minute. He flipped a few more pages.

What - the hair - was she reading?


	9. Playing the Strings

_ " The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched..." _

She sat on the bed, looking around confusedly. Branch was lying by her side, sleeping. She couldn't help herself but smile widely when the memory of their previous activities flashed in her mind. Poppy bent down, giving him a quick kiss on his parted lips. He didn't wake up and she noticed she really needed to go to the bathroom.

After freshening up, she felt hungry. They had slept through the whole day. He was going to wake up starving as well, so deciding she needed to cook something, she dressed and went down to the kitchen.

The moon had a mystic vibe to it, she noticed through the window. The crickets chirped outside and the critters flapped their wings looking for a mate. A song came to her mind and she hummed it quietly, putting some toasts in the oven. She had this idea to have bruschettas ready when Branch woke up. It was quick to make and really delicious.

The tune came to her mind again, more insistent this time. Once again she looked up at the stars. Opening the door, she buried her feet deep into the snow, not caring about the cold. The crunching sound under her feet sent chills down her spine.

A blue halo was perfectly formed around the moon and the starry sky couldn't be more alluring. It was such a beautiful night. The tune returned to her throat, making her feel like singing it. It was a song she had never heard before and she couldn't fully understand. It seemed to match the critters and crickets rhythm. It was so attractive, wonderful... so silent.

_ "... they are felt with the heart." _

Her arms moved and she closed her eyes. She danced and sang incomprehensive words in the snow, feeling free under the shiny diamonds that sparked down on her. As she moved, small glittering dots seemed to form a vortex around her. Pink, blue, orange, purple, red and yellow dots hovered around her and she didn't seem to notice. A symphony combining music, movements and the will to keep on feeling fulfilled made the dots pulse around her, like she had played the Strings all at once.

Maybe indeed she had....

... and it was so cold...

ooOOOoooOOOoooooOOoooooooOOOOOoooooOOoooooOOoooOOoooooooOOOoooOoooo

Branch shot up in bed when he smelled the smoke. Poppy wasn't by his side. He pulled on his pants quickly and dashed downstairs. He found the toasts burning and turned off the oven, taking the tray out of it. The door was open and his heart started racing. Something wasn't right.

He looked outside, stepping into the cold and found a trail. He could feel his throat constricting in panic. He ran past the gym, past the critter shelter and up the hill he had been that afternoon. A small pink form lay half covered in snow, eyes closed.

No, no, no, no! How long had she been there? Picking her up, he felt her ice cold skin. His knees gave out, he was shaking uncontrollably. He had to get her warm and being on the verge of a panic attack wouldn't help. Throwing her over his shoulder he ran back to the cabin as fast as he could.

He placed her in front of the fire. What was he supposed to do? Her clothes were damp. Why would she go outside with just a sweater, anyway? She was breathing, slowly, but still breathing. He fetched a blanket and took her clothes off. He brought her gently on his lap and held her against him. He didn't know what else to do. He rubbed his palms up and down her arms and legs, vigorously, thinking that maybe it would help warm her faster.

Branch calculated the time to fly Poppy back to the village, but turned down the idea. It would take them hours to return home and find Dr. Moonbloom and most of the trip would be under bad weather. He couldn't risk Poppy freezing to death on Monique. He also thought about setting her on the couch so he could call Miss Guffin, but the idea of leaving her alone, even for a few minutes, frightened him more than anything.

Tears were blurring his sight and he pressed his cheek to hers. He was so confused. A few hours before he had been having the best moment of his life and now she was about to die in his arms. How could things have turned so wrong? He mentally begged for her to fight, to stay with him and if sensing his despair, she moved. Her arm rose tiredly and hooked around his neck. His heart was beating so fast it actually hurt.

He looked down at her and with relief, he saw her eyes fluttering open. She smiled at him. How could she just smile under the circumstances? Poppy buried her nose in his chest, shivering. He could hear her teeth clattering as words came out.

"Are you..... okay?"

He almost dropped her. She was concerned about him! He couldn't bring himself to answer her. He kissed her hair repeatedly, squeezing her tightly against him. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep once more.

ooooOOOooooOOoooooOOoooOOOoooooooOOoOOOOooooOOOooooooooooooooOOoooo

_ "Smile..." _

Dawn was still a few hours away and Poppy slowly realized where she was. She had been placed on her bed, wrapped by two blankets. She tried to sit up and winced. Her muscles felt sore. The door opened and Branch stepped inside, carrying a tray with a steaming hot bowl. He exhaled in relief when he saw that she was awake.

He helped her to sit up, placing an extra pillow on her back. He couldn't resist but steal a quick kiss before placing the soup in front of her.

"So, you can cook." She managed to say, realizing her throat felt sore.

"It's my first soup. I hope it's good." He smiled, sitting down next to her.

It was surprisingly good. Poppy felt the warm liquid giving her strength and reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch. She sipped again, happy that Branch would always surprise her. The first time he cooked it came up with such delicious vegetable soup. She recollected when she had cooked for the first time. Miss Guffin had just placed the recipe in front of her and she was instructed to follow them.

The result was a disaster. She had burnt the potatoes, she had put too much salt on the sauce and the dessert was a soggy mess. Miss Guffin's rules to etiquette school meant she had to learn from her mistakes, so she had to eat what she had cooked or not eat at all. From that experience she learned that either she loved what she prepared or she would never make anyone happy with her food.

To provide Happiness was the ultimate goal to be a good Queen.

Branch put the tray aside when she finished eating. It was evident in his eyes how scared he was. A gentle hand touched her cheek, making sure she didn't have a fever and taking the opportunity to caress her softly.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, still shaken by everything.

"Did I burn the bruschettas?" She asked back, ashamed.

"Poppy..." Branch's brow furrowed. "I found you buried in snow, several feet from the cabin in the middle of the night. You're not getting out of this one. What happened?" He insisted, looking serious like never before.

"I don't know..." She said quietly, avoiding his eyes. "I just wanted to go there... it was calling me."

"It?"

"It." She didn't know what happened. She just remembered an intense desire to sing and dance. She was so ashamed she ruined the perfect night they had shared. In fact... she closed her eyes... if she could quiet down her racing mind, she could tell that the desire to keep singing her heart out was still there. "I'm going to try something."

"What?" He unfolded his arms, helping her up when she kicked the blankets away. Watching curiously, he sat on the edge of the bed. Poppy stood in the middle of the room with her eyes closed. With her hands placed in her heart she started humming a soft tune, a tune that sounded almost spellbinding.

Then he saw it. One by one, the sparkling fragments of the Strings started appearing, glittering around her like clapper bugs being captivated by the sounds she was making. He felt a rush of joy; it started on his toes, worked its way up, engulfing him in a warm feeling. He could swear his hair had gone lighter for a second, his whole skin seemed to brighten up. It was like he was experiencing true Happiness.

"By all that is troll-y..." his voice trailed off. She was playing the Strings inside her; she was making - creating - music. He tried to touch one of the sparkles that floated around him, but before he could, it disappeared. They all disappeared. He looked at Poppy and saw her fighting to stand her ground, like her mind was whirling, hit by a dizzy-spell. He rushed to her side and caught her just before her knees hit the floor.

Branch placed her on the bed again. His mind rushed to all possibilities of what could result from their situation. He knew now what Miss Guffin meant when she said she had to be protected. She obviously couldn't handle playing them, but it seemed they were indulging her to give it a try.

"That's a whole new level of weird," He heard Poppy saying. She had a smile on her face and he felt indignation rising. She wasn't taking it seriously. "Come here, please." He sighed, taking his sweatshirt off, he pulled the blankets and slipped inside. She rolled over, hopping her left leg over his and her hand caressing his chest, snuggling happily.

"Poppy... we won't be able to do it by ourselves." It hurt to say that. He wanted to be enough to protect her by himself, but what he had just witnessed was just too powerful, it would eventually drag attention and she would be a walking target. "I need to get you inside the bunker as soon as possible."

She lifted herself on one arm, pressing her chest against his with their noses almost touching. A pink finger traced his lips, making him tense up for a whole new reason.

**XX-XX**

"We'll think about it tomorrow." She said, lowering her lips to find his. "I don't think I'm quite warm enough yet."

She managed to get a smile out of him. He was so nervous, so edgy and she just played him into forgetting the seriousness of their situation. That teasing voice was between infuriating and extremely sexy. The kiss was so hot and the way she pressed herself against him was impossible to ignore.

She swung her legs on each side of his hips, sitting down on top of him and pulling her shirt over her head. That was the view he wanted the first time, but she quickly covered herself. She bent down to continue kissing him and he remembered the book she had been reading. Had she learned how to move like that from it? Maybe two could play that game, then. He quickly sat up, holding her around the waist and flipping them over. She let a surprised yelp when she was placed down on the pillow with him quickly removing the rest of their clothes.

He held her hands above her head, getting a glance that was a mix of excitement and suspicion. He lavished her neck with fervent kisses, making her squirm underneath him and getting the most suggestive noises in return. She was really turned on by this, Branch realized. She liked when he took control.

It wasn't awkward like the first time, now he knew what he was doing and what he was aiming for. He heard his name deliciously rolling out of her tongue. He wanted to hold her, so he let go off her wrists and she immediately put her hands on his back, urging him on. From over his shoulder, she could see him moving. The sight was so marvelously thrilling that she just exploded.

He noticed how her eyelids shut tight, how she bit her lips down to stop herself from making noises. Then her face relaxed while she had a glorious carefree ride. He had never seen such a divine thing. He wished she wouldn't hold back, because like that she gave him everything she was, in her most raw self, breaking through barriers of self consciousness.

She was beautiful.

**XX-XX**

ooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOooooooooooooOOOooOOOOOOOOOooOOooooooooooooo

She shooed him out of the room next morning. He tried to wake her for breakfast, but she buried herself under the blankets, groaning like she was still tired. That was the first, because she usually was up by sunrise.

"Are you okay?" Branch asked, rubbing her back gently.

"I need a couple of extra hours of sleep." She replied in a muffled voice, making him chuckle.

It was a good idea to use those 'couple of hours' to get some serious subject out of the way. He dressed, noticing his skin had a faint strawberry perfume in it. He kissed the sleeping queen on the bed and hurried out of the cabin towards Miss Guffin's place. He didn't notice the gym doors were open like the day before and Fern was already inside getting his work out done.

He knocked and the door opened as if by magic. Miss Guffin was sitting at the kitchen table with another book in front of her, while sipping some latte. She looked at him from over her glasses and marked the page she had been reading before turning her full attention to him.

"Good Morning, Branch."

"Good morning, Miss Guffin." He looked at her with a stern face and she knew something had happened.

"I take that if Poppy isn't here with you it's something she's not supposed to know." She said wisely. She poured a latte to him, waiting until he started his story.

"You said to keep an eye on her and..." He suddenly felt itchy. "yesterday she did something weird."

"You're taking too long; cut the suspense and spill it out at once. Weird how?"

"I don't know how it started, but she said something was calling her and she did something... she sang and these... sparkles hovered around her." Branch said, looking at Miss Guffin to see if she believed in him. "It was like she had touched the Strings."

"Did she seem to know what she was doing?" Miss Guffin asked, opening the book again and flipping it a few pages backwards, as if searching for something.

"When she did it in front of me, yes."

"How did she react?"

"It looked like it was taking a lot of energy from her. She looked tired when it stopped."

"Do you have her gem with you?"

"Yes..." branch reached inside his hair, taking the rainbow colored gem. The colors were moving like heterogeneous liquid. He didn't remember them moving when he got it from her the day before.

"She's connecting..." Miss Guffin wrote down a few notes. The only thing they knew for certain was that Poppy' situation still had to be kept a secret until they knew exactly what they were dealing with. "Look." She opened a map in front of him, it was a little like the one he had been updating with Poppy. "Fern spotted gray trolls here.... and here.... another one here...."

Branch didn't know that Fern was monitoring the troll kingdom and felt a little jealous. The blond troll had a bigger area to work with and he probably had more fun setting traps and alarms. He shook the feeling off and when he paid attention to the area Miss Guffin had pointed, it looked like they had been going towards Pop Village from northwest.

Somehow, sitting there, working with the mentor to protect Poppy made both of them forget their differences; Branch let go that she didn't enjoy him as a consort and Miss Guffin forgot, for a second, that her son had been dismissed because of the teal troll. Both loved the girl too much to let anything intervene with her safety.

ooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooOOOoooo

Fern was doing upside down pushups in a corner when he saw Poppy walking inside the gym, looking wonderfully grown up in tight leggings and a yellow top. She was spinning around with her arms opened, giggling like the little girl he once knew. He couldn't help but smile himself. He watched her with his feet hanging in the air, waiting silently for her to spot him.

"Branch I know you're in there!" The joy she was feeling sugared her voice. "I thought we could move the morning exercises to the bed- Oh- hair, Fern!" She blushed uncontrollably when she spotted him. He jumped from the bars, spinning in the air and landing gracefully on his feet right in front of her.

He grinned down at her even though inside he was breaking after hearing what she had just said. Even if she stopped herself when she saw him, it was pretty evident why she was searching Branch. Accidently he bit his tongue, draining blood. That was the taste of heartbreak.

"Well, good morning, my queen." Fern said, betraying his heart and giving her the warmest smile, which she replied.

"Morning. Have you seen my husband?" She made sure to stress the last word, just in case he didn't hear her clearly.

"I've been here before sunrise and he hasn't come, yet." Fern answered, turning around and going back to the mezzanine. "He must be exploring the area. I heard he's quite a paranoid loner."

Poppy was surprised at his words. They must have talked a lot when they were sparring.

"I’veI missed training with you." He said after a long silence. Poppy watched him when he reached for the radio-bug, turning on the usual songs he liked to listen to when he went through the warm up routine. "Jeez, you've changed it all." He chuckled, noticing she had placed a few slow songs for the dance warm up. "Hey, I like this one."

"Right... have fun with that, I'll find Branch. See ya." She quickly turned on her heels, dashing towards the gym door.

"You could stay a while." Fern said, making her take a deep breath and look back at him. He was smirking, looking at her with his knees bent and arms stretched in a semi-attack position. "You were my best pupil and I really want to know how good you've become."

"I'm really not in the mood." She insisted, but again, he gave her that mocking laugh that she had hated for so many years. Usually he did that one when he knew he would win.

"C'mon, for old time' sake" Fern knew he had a convincing tone in his voice and when he used it, she couldn't say no. He saw in her eyes that he had won. She looked down before raising her arms in defense.

The match unfolded enjoyably like he remembered. Nobody threw precise punches like her, no other student was able to combine wits and strength like she did. He remembered exactly the moves she made, the twists and turns to reach beyond his defense and take a full blow. One thing he didn't remember, though, was the way her hips seemed filled out. He didn't remember that curve...

Poppy jumped and came down with an elbow strike, which he blocked crossing his arms in front of his forehead. Using her hair to boost her speed, she leaned down, slipping around and surprising him with an alternate low kick attack, which made both land on their knees, several feet from each other.

Figuring - by the way he landed with his feet in an awkward position - that he had opened his guard, she went straight for a right cross punch, only to be surprised by a kick on her left thigh while she was using it to support her weight. She landed on her side and put one hand down to jump back up, but she was pulled back and fell on the floor, with her hair immobilized.

Fern was laughing when he jumped down, holding both her arms crossed on her chest. She closed her eyes, trying to push away the memories of the last time he had her down exactly like that. Using her legs, she prepared a ground-fighting escape, but he held her firmly with his knees on her lower legs.

"Branch told me you learned ground-fighting." He leaned down, letting his weight crush her to the point of making it difficult to breath. "I guess without free legs you can't do much, right? I won."

He was having a good time, seeing her moving to reposition herself to get away from him. She was trying to free her hair and moved her feet, working to stabilize herself enough to push up. Panicking, she saw him bending down and a chill ran down her spine when she heard his mocking voice in her ear:

"It brings back memories, doesn't it?"

Indeed, she had memories of their last match, when she defeated him and got her black belt. Back then, she was focusing so hard on winning that she didn't see when he used his feet to kick her back and take advantage of her wheezing lungs to bend down to kiss her. Her rage that day made her gain extra strength, pushing him back and going for a full direct punch on his jaw.

The same happened again, but this time, she had gotten a lot better. She was able to use her feet to hook them on his ankles, pushing him off her enough to grab his wrist with her left hand and his shoulder with the right one. Rotating herself, she crawled on his back, dragging him to the ground, she was able to slide her forearm around the front of his neck and the other behind, applying enough pressure to show him she could perform a sleep choke hold. Her mind raced and she let go when she felt him tapping on the floor three times.

"Hair..." Fern spat out, rubbing his throat. "You've gotten really good." When she didn't answer, he gave her a small broken smile. "I'm sorry about that. It wasn't cool."

She shook her head, standing up trembling. Apparently, faking a marriage wasn't enough. She didn't want to be there anymore. It was time she returned to Pop Village.

ooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooo

"Hair, I missed you!" Poppy jumped on Branch as soon as he walked inside their cabin, wrapping legs and arms around him, taking the poor teal troll back, almost making them both fall on the ground. He managed to steady himself against the wall, having his lips unmercifully attacked by a very eager pink queen.

"I've... hmmm.... barely been gone an hour....whoah." He had to push her away because she started grinding her hips against his and they were halfway out of the cabin. What had gotten into her?

"Sorry," She blushed, setting her feet on the floor and clasping her hands together. "I couldn't resist." He smiled at her and made a mental note to check if she had been reading that book again.

A chilly wind ruffled their hair and Poppy got closer to him. He was way warmer in his pullover while she had just her gym clothes on. He held her and pressed a kiss on her temple. It was so delicious to have a quiet morning like that with her...

"Branch....?" She whispered, her face was buried in his chest and he looked down, seeing her with her eyes wide open, looking outside. "... it's gone too quiet."

He was about to ask what she meant when he felt it, too. Something was definitely wrong. The critters had gone quiet. The trees were gently blown by the wind and moved silently. A few leaves that escaped the canopy hovered away before touching the ground. They spotted Fern standing by the gym's door with his hands closed in tight fists, looking at the bushes that delimited the path between the two cabins.

A bush moved and Branch pushed Poppy behind him. She tried to protest by stepping at his side, only to be sent back again. From between the leaves a small gray foot appeared. Branch frowned, stretching his hands to keep Poppy in her place.

The gray trolls had arrived.

With his peripheral vision he noticed Fern was standing as quiet as he was. Another gray foot came into view. A dark hair pushed its way from the small snow-covered plants until it was fully exposed.

It was a gray child. Not a toddler, about CJ's age. She walked towards them slowly, as if it was tired beyond comprehension.

"Are you okay?" Poppy asked, surprising Branch and brushing past him before he could react. She kneeled in front of the child, smiling gently at her. He could have screamed at her recklessness. The child looked up at the Pop Queen and softly touched the hand she was offering. "Are you sad?" She insisted, but her question still went unanswered.

"Can you sing?" The child suddenly asked, making Poppy smile down at her. Branch still had an uneasy feeling in his gut.

"Of course!" She threw her hands in the air excitedly. "Look Branch! That's how we're going to save the whole tribe!"

"Poppy, you should be careful..." Branch started saying, approaching her, studying the kid's expressions.... which was completely empty of emotions.

The pink queen didn't listen to him and engulfed the child in a hug, closing her eyes while humming a happy song. Branch watched in amazement as the Strings dust started appearing again. They floated around Poppy and the child, splattering the gray skin with colorful dots.

Fern stepped closer, frowning. Branch saw him getting serious and looked back at both girls on the floor. From where he stood he could only see a beautiful scene of a child finding its true colors with a warm song softly hummed in her ear, like a mother singing a lullaby to her hurt baby.

"Step away from her!" Fern suddenly yelled, running towards the girls. Branch was lost, but he ran to Poppy as well. He touched her shoulders and realized she was holding the girl very firmly and with her eyes shut tight, she didn't seem to notice that they were worried.

Fern grabbed the child by its shirt and yanked her from Poppy's arms, making her fly several feet from the queen. Branch couldn't believe in such a violent act coming from the stronger troll. He bent down to hold Poppy, watching as Fern captured the unmoving child.

Poppy also watched the scene, visibly shaken. Branch helped her to her feet, checking her hair, her eyes, her face... she seemed unharmed. He pulled a gentle hand to touch her face to brush a hair from her eyes when he got a glimpse of her skin underneath her shirt.

"Poppy..." He whispered, gently pushing the hem of her shirt up to expose a small portion of her skin.

The skin where the child had touched was gray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quotes Little Prince in the first lines :)


	10. Moving In

Branch stood in front of the closed door. In his hand, Poppy's rainbow colored gem seemed to be fighting traces of gray spots. It circled, danced and whirled, attacking the uncolored marks forcing it to diminish. It was fighting back, but as it got surrounded by the warm happiness, it succumbed and faded away.

Finally, he put the gemstone in his hair and knocked. He could hear her moving around inside, from one side to another and wondered why it took her so long to allow him to turn the doorknob. The sunlight got his unfocused eyes, making him shut his eyelids for a second until he got used to the brightness.

Poppy was standing in front of the mirror, wearing only her underwear. When he saw her like that he got transported to a perfect world where both of them would hug, kiss and make love without a single worry. A few meters away from him, she looked graceful, with a very curvy hip that was too distracting. How come he hasn't noticed it before?

"They're gone." She said happily, looking at herself in curiosity. The gray spots disappeared, leaving no traces that they had ever been there. Oh, that's why she was wearing so little... "It's not permanent." Her happy conclusion sent red alarms on his brain.

"Good, so from now on you will be careful if you ever come across another gray troll. Note: the IF, because from this afternoon you'll be securely locked in the bunker." He said quickly, advancing in her direction and not being able to resist touching her.

"You know what we have to do, Branch." She turned around, facing him with that fire in her eyes, that fire that made him break down in sweat because he knew she had an over elaborate plan that involved getting closer to the gray tribe.

"No." He answered, doing his best to sound like he wasn't terrified. "Can you put your clothes on? I can't think straight when you're like that." The second he said that he regretted it. She slowly, almost sensually, turned around, with a coy smile and circled her arms around his neck.

"I'm Queen... I have to use my power for good." She stood on the tips of her toes, reaching for his lips, but not making contact. He had a hard time trying to focus on the subject. "The Strings have chosen me to end their sadness..."

"We really need to discuss it when you're dressed." He managed to say, almost choking on his words. He felt her pressing her lips softly against him, torturing him by not deepening the kiss. As much as he wanted to get her against that wall, voices from downstairs reminded him that they weren't alone and that he had gone up there to fetch her in the first place. "Come down soon, please."

Poppy had to admit he was stronger than she had given him credit for. He broke their embrace and left, closing the door behind him. She quickly put on some warm clothes and followed him downstairs, where she found Miss Guffin, Fern and Branch sitting at the table and the gray child - who still was mostly gray - sitting on a corner, nibbling some cheese pie.

"How are you feeling?" Miss Guffin asked, standing up and closely examining her, putting two hands on her cheeks to check her temperature.

"I'm great." Poppy grinned cheerfully.

"Then you're welcome to sit and join us to discuss the plan." Fern said, motioning for a chair that had been placed for her. The map was opened and there were several marked spots.

"Okay, first," She turned to Fern. "I vaguely remember you throwing that poor child away. I don't want any violence, understood?" Branch felt his chest filling up with pride when she just spoke like the queen she really was to scold Fern. The body-builder looked like he had never been scolded before, given the look on his face. "Second, what plan?" She asked, leaning over the table, taking a close look at the map.

"This is where Fern spotted gray trolls. If we connect the paths we can see that they are coming from this area." Miss Guffin pointed at the very specific place with grayish sand, hills and caves.

"So that's where the tribe is!" Poppy clapped her hands, excited. "We can get them all together and sing a happy song!"

"No, Poppy, we're not going there." Branch said firmly, making her cheerfulness subside. "They are not like the bergens." He pointed at the child in the corner. "They obviously can't be happy with just any song, IF they can be cheered with a song."

"What do you mean?" Poppy asked. She took a step towards the quiet child, who seemed to be chewing absent-minded.

"Can't you see, sweetie?" Miss Guffin stood behind her, offering a warm hand. "It's not happiness she's lacking... it's everything."

"The gray trolls aren't sad, Poppy." Branch explained. "They're void... they're..."

"Indifferent..." She whispered to herself.

A talking explosion found Branch's sensitive ears. Poppy wanted to keep the situation about the Strings a secret, Fern wanted to tell everybody so they had more alert trolls in case she was attacked and Miss Guffin understood both sides, but preferred to tell just the tribe leaders in a private meeting.

He didn't know which was the best idea, he wished they could keep it a secret at first, until they had a defense plan organized and trained. By the routes on the map, it was obvious the gray trolls were one by one coming to find Poppy. He had no idea what he had to be prepared for. If other trolls attacked he'd take everyone to his bunker and use his traps to catch them.

"Maybe we should alert the bergens." Branch said, looking down at the map. "I mean, they are bigger than us..."

"Do you think it's wise?" Miss Guffin wondered. "They have been predators before... if they know that Poppy holds all that happiness inside her..."

"I trust Gristle." Did he? Suddenly he wasn't so sure.

"Listen, Branch... we don't want any giants trying to catch Poppy, do we? Should we risk exposing them to the Strings power?"

"I trust Bridget!" Poppy said, slamming both her hands on the table. "She's a great friend."

"Actually..." Branch had to admit that Miss Guffin and Fern were right. "... maybe we should keep it to ourselves." Poppy looked sad and sat down again.

It was settled that they would fly home and Fern would meet them at Pop Village the day after. It gave Branch and Poppy time to warn everyone about the pretend-marriage. He wasn't concerned about pretending anymore. He was... comfortable enough with Poppy to act like a married couple in public, but what worried him was to convince the pink queen that she had to move into the bunker with him.

"We must find a way to make the gray trolls Happy. That's how we keep everybody safe." She looked at Branch, knowing that it was how she saved him from a sad paranoid life.

"I don't think it's that easy, Poppy." Fern said. Branch noticed he reached a hand to touch her arm warmly and she shifted uncomfortably, pretending to scratch her nose so she could politely brush his hand away.

"It is that easy and simple." Poppy insisted. Nobody said a word. She wasn't going to sit down and wait to attract gray trolls to Pop Village. So, they made a deal: she agreed to let Branch work on the defenses first, but they were going to go see the gray tribe. It was her Royal duty and she wanted to be the best queen she could.

Branch hurried her out when he saw the sky darkening. He had already gotten Monique ready for departure and they had to go before they were caught in a snowstorm. The tea and the apple strudel were delicious (he had to ask Poppy to keep cooking like that when they got home), but they really needed to go.

"Poppy..." Fern opened his arms, waiting for a goodbye hug. She hugged him quickly and then moved to hug Miss Guffin.

"I want you to do something for me." The mentor said, "I want you to focus on being Happy."

"I am happy..." Poppy rolled her eyes.

"Then keep it that way."

"Okay, I promise." The mentor gave her a warm hug. She turned to the gray child. Miss Guffin would take care of her, but still she was unsure if she should just go away like that. Making Branch take in a sharp breath, Poppy approached the child, kneeling down in front of her. She really wanted to touch her, but she stopped herself. Instead, she reached for her hair and pulled a colorful lollipop she had been saving for the trip. "Here" She offered, and the child took it.

For a brief second, Poppy hoped to see a happy face when she tasted the sugary delicacy, but instead, the gray child just nipped it with the same lazy pace as she had previously eaten the cheese pie. It was like she didn't care about the taste or what she was eating. It was like it didn't matter... like she had just lost the ability to hope for better days. Poppy held back her tears and stood up, hearing when the three tense trolls in the room relaxed again, turning their attention to each other.

"I'm sorry I was hard on you." The old lady said to Branch, engulfing him in a hug as well. "I'm sure with a bit of experience you'll be a good consort. Also..." She turned to both of them. "I'll send regular reports on what I find out about..." She motioned the child with her head.

This time, Branch climbed behind Poppy. She got really excited to pilot Monique again and gave him a kiss in retribution. He slipped one arm around her when they took off, he allowed himself a little not-so-innocent rubbing during their flight, drawing giggles from her. He felt her body relax as they distanced themselves from the training complex.

"What's going on between you and Fern?" He felt her tense again under his arms, but her answer wasn't the one he was looking for.

"Nothing, he's just a very good friend."

Somehow, Branch was suspicious that even Miss Guffin didn't know why Poppy was avoiding him. When the time was right, when they were safe, when her life wasn't at risk, he was going to make her spill out the truth.

ooooooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooo

Poppy was furious as soon as she descended the elevator. When she walked into the bunker, she saw all her things there. Branch had planned ahead and called Prince D, who was told to get everything from Poppy's pod inside his home and reunite The Snack Pack for an emergency meeting. Her clothes, her scrapbooks, her trophies, her mail, even her bed had been placed inside the bunker. She was not going to stay down there. No matter how dangerous the situation was, she needed to be reachable for her people.

Branch explained the situation for their shocked friends and Poppy just sat there, looking at her feet, feeling incredibly powerless. It was her job to protect them and not the other way around. The part about the Strings was hard to face, but when he took his time explaining that they were faking a marriage she just felt plain foolish.

"We need to get you a ring!" Satin said, squealing with her sister.

"I think it's just very romantic what you're doing for her, Branch." Biggie said.

"And we can have some fun with that!" Smidge jumped. "Imagine how embarrassed they will be when we just make them kiss in front of everybody."

"Guys, we need you to take it slow..." Poppy started saying, but she missed the smirk that painted a certain troll's lips just before he pulled her gently by her hair, bringing her face to his and giving her a fantastic brief kiss, "... I think we've got the embarrassment part covered." She blushed, looking stunned at Branch.

Their friends stared at them with their mouth hanging open.

"What happened on that mountain?" Cooper was the one to voice everybody's thoughts.

"That, you'll never know." Branch crossed his arms, proudly.

"Well, it makes things a lot easier then." Prince D laughed.

Branch wasn't comfortable discussing their private life, which seemed to cause more curiosity than the fact that Poppy had the Strings within her. He reunited everybody around the Troll's Kingdom map, which he had been updating with Poppy. He pointed to the covered areas and the missing ones, showing the spot northwest from Lonesome Flats where the gray tribe most likely was. If they would really sense Poppy's power and were coming to Pop Village, first they would have to enter Delta's domain.

"We have to warn her."

"They could come around from north as well." Prince D pointed out.

"Then, let's warn Trollzart."

While they discussed strategies, they missed Poppy slowly sneaking off towards the elevator. She wanted to see the village, to see if everything was fine, if they were having fun and if they needed her help with anything.

She found out she had missed Prank Day, but aside that, everything seemed normal, she hugged everybody, she danced and shared candies with the smaller kids. She tried to figure out what she was feeling towards the whole situation. She didn't want to be locked up. Nobody knew when gray trolls would come, if they ever came.

A familiar joy washed through her when she stepped inside the classroom. DJ Suki was telling a story about how Pop Music was inspired by so many other styles, explaining it clearly so the kids from the other tribes could fully understand her. The young trollings sat with their backs to the door and DJ continued the explanation after Poppy put her finger to her lips, asking her to be quiet.

She walked to a shelf and looked for the scrapbook where she told the story about how they befriended the bergens. That was one of the history books she felt like leaving for the last classes before summer recess, but somehow her heart beat faster when she thought about it. She really wanted to read the story of how she and Branch became best friends.

"Who missed me?" She asked, cheerfully, jumping among the kids, surprising them.

"Queen Poppy!" The kids said in unison, standing up to hug her.

"How was your trip?"

"Are you okay now?"

"I'm great!" Poppy answered, sitting down next to DJ in her white fluffy puff. Indeed, she was incredibly refreshed after seeing the kids. They were colorful, joyful... and she knew, right then, that she'd be able to make other kids as happy. She'd give everything in her power to show the gray trolls how to care about happiness again.

"Are you going to tell us the story about the bergens?" Keith asked, pointing at the scrapbook in her hands.

"Yes, I think our exchange students must know about our greatest adventure!" She opened the scrapbook and the kids moved closer. She started from the beginning with the great escape from the Troll Tree in Bergentown. The kids loved the adventure, how she risked her life to rescue her friends and Branch courageously followed her, even though he was scared.

"That's how heroes are born," she explained. "They do what they have to do no matter how scared they are." Branch had been the biggest hero of that story, even if he preferred to hide in the shadows. She was so proud of him. He was her hero, her protector, her best friend... and her lover. Back then, she wouldn't dare imagine how things would progress between them.

Just to think about him she felt like touching the Strings inside her. She sang the True Colors song and the kids hugged each other, closing their eyes to enjoy the music. She felt the song being born from her heart, reverberating waves of joy that went straight to the children's hearts, warming them from their toes to the top of their hair. They all had goofy faces, like they were tasting candies.

Becoming a Queen had been important, but being Branch's best friend had been infinitely more significant. Looking at the kids faces, she remembered what Miss Guffin had asked her to do. She needed time to keep herself Happy. When she first walked inside the mentoring room in the Queen training complex, the old lady had asked her to sing the first music that came to her mind.

That day specifically she had been singing a song that made her think if she'd ever be a good queen. And, if her friends would only love her if she was good enough. Would she ever be loved like she was if she was an ordinary girl? When she asked that, Miss Guffin sat down to pay attention to her, with one hand on her waist and another heavily on the table in front of her. Poppy had doubts if she would ever fulfill her purpose and from that day on Miss Guffin had made sure she would never have any self-doubts again. She was going to be a good queen, she was going to be loved for herself, as a girl.

Poppy smiled at the memories. Miss Guffin had been right. She had found someone who loved her for who she was, not because of her royal blood. She had found someone who loved all her flaws, the same as she loved his. They completed each other, they protected each other.

He was ready to take her in to protect her. His beloved bunker, his shelter from the loudness of the world had its doors open for her, the same way he opened his heart to let her in. She knew she could move in with him, she knew she could be happy with him and... her eyes shot open in realization... she could be Happy without being Queen, but she could never be Happy without him in her life. He gave her purpose.

_ "Now..." _

That voice startled her. She had heard it before, more than once, but now it seemed closer somehow.

She realized the critters were flying around the school pod, attracted to the sparkles that hovered around her. She couldn't resist and touched a critter. It fluttered its wings and dove into the glittering dust, flying, swirling happily.

It was the opposite that had happened when the gray child had appeared. The critters had run away, deadly quiet, but with her... they were attracted to her like sunshine on a cold day.

_ "... can you understand the Music of your Heart?" _

She felt the sparks slowly dying down and her body felt heavy. That was when she collapsed.

ooooooOOOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOOooooooooooooooooOooooOOOOOooooooooooo

Branch leaned against the door, looking at the sleeping queen in his bed. He bit his fingertips, trying to keep his tears in check. He didn't know what to do. She stirred and he walked towards her. Her eyes were still closed and he brushed her hair off her forehead. He was so scared. He was scared like he hadn't been in a long time. It was obvious that her body wasn't handling the power. He was scared she would just... He felt her hand on his leg, touching him languidly.

"I had the weirdest dream." She said, staring straight at him. He pulled her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "Are you crying?" He shook his head 'no', but couldn't find his voice to confirm it.

She sat up with one big warm smile and Branch had to put a hand behind him to fully look at her, taken by surprise at the sudden energetic move. There was a different light in her eyes. She looked like a incredible, with the white shirt hugging her form and her pink hair down. Her skin seemed brighter and there was a soothing aura around her, like just breathing the same air was enough to reassure him that everything was going to be fine. And she seemed oblivious about it.

"Branch?" He heard her calling him and quickly got back to paying attention to what she was saying. "I asked where am I?"

"Oh," He looked around as well, blushing. "It's my... well... our room." He had to catch his breath when he realized she was raising a suspicious eyebrow at him. "I've been redecorating for a while so... you could feel more comfortable here."

"Branch..." She threw the covers away and stood up. He had a hard time focusing on anything but the way the hem of his t-shirt barely covered her panties. "It looks amazing!" The walls weren't earth color anymore. He had straightened and painted them white. 

"Here, let me give you a tour." He held her hand in his and guided her to another room where he used to keep his books. He put more shelves and had been placing her trophies and scrapbooks in a clear division: her side, his side. "The gang have been helping since yesterday..." He didn't finish. Poppy hugged him tightly, almost crushing his bones. Her side was light pink, he had worked on a white study where her fan mail had been piled up.

There was another room that previously he had stocked his rations, but since he was stocking less and less lately, he realized he could use it for something else, but he had no idea what and was hoping Poppy would give him a hint. He took a glimpse of the dark covered book she had been reading. She had it hidden in her hair. An image suddenly popped in his mind. He smiled devilishly. He had to tease her... he couldn't stop himself...

"I don't know what to do with this room." He said, placing his hands in his hip bone. "I thought about painting it red." ... and she stumbled on a paint bucket and made a mess on the floor. It took a lot of willpower not to burst out laughing. "Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah..." She choked on her words, quickly leaving the room without meeting his eyes. "What else have you done?" Her voice sounded a bit more high-pitched than usual.

"Hm... I've changed the bathroom." Indeed, he thought that aside from the bedroom, the bathroom had to be a top priority. He noticed she avoided going in there and since she had been visiting a lot since they started spending more time together, he noticed that was the usual excuse for her to go away. She gasped when he opened the door. It was redecorated with actual tiles, the countertop was big with two sinks and he had installed a white royal tub and a shower in the opposite corner. The color was light, giving it a whole new atmosphere. It looked clean!

"Branch, this is too much. How did you manage...?" It's no wonder he missed her birthday!

"Eventually I'll finish the hall and the kitchen." He continued, changing the subject while blushing. He had left where she usually walked by to be the last ones...

"The kitchen is perfect the way it is." Poppy commented, going there just to look around and prove her point. "The cupboard and the table are solid wood, I mean, it can't get better than that."

"Just some new paint, then." Branch said, looking around as well. Maybe he could change the lamps and go for a lighting fixture...

"Let me help you!" she was already picking up his painting tools when he turned to see her.

"Poppy, you collapsed in the middle of the class, you're not doing anything." He took the brush from her, but she just smiled playfully at him. She pulled the table to a corner so she could climb on top of it to reach higher. Turning around, humming happily, she opened a drawer and picked up an old tablecloth, placing it over the surface. He was a bit surprised to see that she knew where he kept his things.

"If we team up, this kitchen will look new in a couple of hours." He didn't budge, which made her roll her eyes. "I'm feeling fine; more than fine, actually, I'm feeling like I've never been better."

"If you feel anything weird, you climb down immediately, deal?" He held out a hand, helping her climb on the table, earning a kiss.

"You're the best." She pulled her hair down, tying it in a low ponytail so it wouldn't brush on the ceiling. He moved to another corner, grabbed his tools and poured some green painting on a tray and gave it to her. "Green will look good on this wall, but too much green can darken the area a little."

"I have some white paint left."

"Good, I'll paint this wall green and you paint the others white. We can even add some tiling above the countertop later."

Did he do it? Branch asked himself, watching her as she painted the wall, standing above the table, wearing his t-shirt and actually looking excited to help him redecorate... did she actually want to move in with him? She didn't look happy about it a few hours before, but that change of spirits was more than welcome. It was a wonderful feeling - he thought looking back at her - that one when their hearts smiled at one another.

Indeed, it didn't take them long to finish painting. He cleaned the brushes and Poppy sat down on the table, with one knee raised while she hugged her leg, watching him with a smile. She was feeling comfortable with him, he could almost taste the homey atmosphere they were creating. He couldn't hold it any longer. He dried his hands and walked towards her. He couldn't just not see the way she was sitting in there. That was a fantastic angle.

"What?" She asked quietly, but she knew exactly what she had done to him. It was almost like she could read his thoughts. He placed both hands on her knees and slid his hands higher, touching every inch of her skin until he reached behind her, bringing her forward to glue her front to his. Very convenient angle, indeed. That coy smile of hers made it obvious that she was toying with him and he didn't care one bit.

He let her know his intentions with a leading kiss. He was going to set the pace, he was going to make her love that bunker and he was going to explore her in every corner. She moaned and moved closer, tangling her fingers in his hair after removing his vest. His hands roamed over her back and squeezed, leaving small marks where he roughly touched her.

Using the table to support her weight, she wrapped her legs and arms around him. Her fingers crawled in his hair, pulling him in a desperate kiss. He was the source of her Happiness, he was her lover, her friend and she wanted to feel him moving against her again.

They heard the elevator and broke their kiss. Caught by surprise they didn't have the time to hide or jump apart. Poppy seemed paralyzed, looking at him in panic. Branch only had time to adjust her shirt back down before Smidge walked in.

"Hey, Branch, Prince D asked me to deliver... OHMYGUH." Poppy hid her burning face in his shoulder and he looked imprisoned in her arms with an embarrassed smile. "I'll just put it over here." Smidge covered her eyes, walking backwards towards the elevator. "I didn't see anything." and as soon as she came, she was gone.

Branch felt Poppy relaxing before laughing. She lifted her head, not being able to look straight at him. It was beyond awkward.

"I need to change the password." Branch chuckled, giving her a small peck on the lips before retreating. Poppy pouted cutely at him and he immediately returned with the wrapping Smidge had brought, going back to the same position they previously were.

"What is it?" Poppy asked, looking at his hands curiously. He opened the small box, revealing a pair of engagement rings. "Branch..." Poppy felt like the air had been knocked out. Those rings were beautiful! The bigger one was plain simple gold, but the smaller was set with the finest diamonds.

"If we're going to fake a marriage, we're doing it properly." He kissed her dumbfounded lips, feeling his heart pumping wildly. It wasn't easy trying to keep calm because when his eyes set on the perfect engraved rings - hair, Prince D got them engraved! - with his name and her name everything they went through dawned on him. His fingers shakily picked the smaller and delicate ring and his other hand he held her pink one. Her thin finger looked ready to carry a token of his love. His eyes felt like they were burning her with intensity. "With this ring, I take thee, Poppy, to be my wedded wife..."

"Branch..." She breathed his name again, looking down at the ring he was slowly placing around her finger. "You don't have to say it."

"I want to say it."

"It's just that..." She sniffed, happy unshed tears blinding her eyes. "It sounds real..."

He looked down at her for a second, wiping her tears away with his thumb. He knew what she was saying. It was like he could feel what she was feeling; like they were mirroring each other's thoughts. He whispered against her lips:

"Do you want it to be real?"

And she nodded.

**A/N - Happy dance!**


	11. Happy Memories

They stayed married and lived happily ever after. Branch rolled his eyes at the ending of the trilogy. The millionaire seemed to be dangerous, but he was all soft inside. Shocker. The book just helped him get the courage to act on one thing he had wanted to try for a while. A splashing noise came from the bathroom and, through a small opening on the unlocked door, he could see Poppy wrapping herself in a fluffy towel. He hid the books in Poppy's drawer, so she wouldn't be suspicious that he had read them.

He grabbed another book and leaned against the headboard, pretending he had been waiting for her the whole time. It was already late and he had had a full day. His legs ached from walking around to supervise and correct the trolls that had enlisted in the training. The softness of the new mattress did wonders to relax him. He had never had access to that type of comfort, but he was very glad to have it now.

She walked inside and sat at the vanity (which he had brought from her pod), giving him a smile through the mirror. He watched the hypnotic movement that the brush made untangling her locks after she had let the hair down from the head wrap. The fabric itself was interesting. It was silk, blue and, when she undid the knot, he realized it was a scarf.

An idea occurred to him.

He didn't know if he should do it, feeling awkward, but, at the same time, very tempted. She rubbed a strawberry scented lotion on her face and neck, stirring a flame inside him. As she obliviously continued his torture, he closed the book and leaned against the pillow, watching her intensely.

"Can I see that?" He asked, pointing at the scarf. She followed his finger and grabbed the blue silk, handing it to him while checking on her eyes. He felt the cool fabric with his fingers, wondering what kind of reaction she'd have. He noticed her short pajama set had a drawstring tie at the waist. So very convenient...

Coming from his reverie when the mattress shifted, he felt Poppy snuggling happily next to him, pressing her whole body against his right side. She felt so good, so soft. A gentle smile colored her lips when their eyes met. His hands snaked around her waist and she rested hers on his upper arms, hugging each other, grinning like fools. They could stay forever just like that, diving into each other' souls in silence. It was their Happy place.

**XX-XX**

Gradually, they started understanding each other's body language. She'd focus on his lips and he knew she wanted a kiss. When he complied, if they were lying down in each other's arms, she'd press against him and slowly lean her head back on the pillow, inviting him to climb on top of her.

Her hand played with his hair as he deepened their kiss, claiming her lips gently at first, but slowly pressing more urgently, more passionately. His own hands explored her skin underneath her top, pushing it up until she lifted her head to allow him to yank it off; taking advantage of her distractingly attacking his lips, he pulled her pajama cord off.

He showered her neck with kisses and bites, draining the cutest sounds from her. He felt his heart pounding wildly as he dared to push her hands above her head. She didn't even notice what he was doing until she tried to embrace him and felt her tied wrists. He grinned devilishly at her wide-eyes, placing a soft, lovingly kiss on her lips, reassuring her that he didn't mean any harm.

She relaxed under his touch again, kissing back, this time more earnest. He left her lips, watching how reddish they were from his insistent and passionate assault. She licked them open in anxiety as he blindfolded her with the blue scarf. He continued their battle of tongues until he felt she was ready for more, getting the hint by her legs moving up to hook around his hip.

He kissed her neck, trailing down her collarbone, then down her chest slowly making his way to her tummy, feeling her shivering under his touch. He grinned when he realized she couldn't cover herself in embarrassment, which she would probably do if he hadn't restrained her, so placed his lips on her hot skin again, going lower...

She gasped.

**XX-XX**

oooooooooooooooOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooooOOOooooo

Next morning, Poppy sat in the kitchen, drinking tea and feeling giddy. She felt like screaming jubilantly and, at the same time, felt incredibly self-conscious. Somehow, she feared Branch and herself were developing some kind of mental connection, because it wasn't possible that he knew exactly what to do, how to love her the way she wanted, how to touch her the way she was craving for.

He sat in front of her a few minutes later with messy hair and his brown robe wrapped around him. He grinned at her like a fool, playing with the hot coffee mug she had placed in front of him - safely using a coaster, of course. With one hand supporting his chin, he sighed. They didn't have to say anything. Both had never been more satisfied.

"You know... you were right." He said after a few sips, getting the courage he needed to reveal his secret to her. She pressed her lips quizzically, still having some difficulty to find words since their heated activities the night before. He reached inside his robe and revealed the trilogy she thought she had hid from him. "These are very good instructions."

Her jaw dropped, her cheeks heating. She felt mortified... and giggly.

"How... I mean... I didn't... I-I-I..." As she struggled to find words, he wisely got his Bunker List from his hair, opening it right in front of her.

"Read a Trollmance novel cover to cover. Check."

ooooooooooooOOOOOoooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooOOOooo

"I don't get it, are they still pretending to be married, Mr. Dinkles?"

Fern heard someone saying below him. He was hanging from a tree, using its offshoot as a straight bar for dip workout. The blue troll with a yellow worm walked from a pod to the middle of the village, where the others were gathering to start the training inside the stadium.

"I mean, they wouldn't get married for real without a proper royal ceremony, would they?" Immediately, Fern knew he was talking about Poppy and Branch. Get married for real? Did it mean they weren't really married? So it had been pretend? All this time? The kiss he witnessed, the rings? They were all one big farce? He felt a pang in his heart and almost fell head down from the tree.

Branch looked down at the list in his hands. The amount of trolls who signed up grew considerably since he announced Fern was leading the body boot camp... well... mostly girls signed up... Okay, he could deal with a few girls drooling over the coach, right? He smirked at everybody lined up in front of him. It was like a dream coming true. Finally trolls took safety protocols seriously.

"Morning everyone!" He looked up to check the weather and something caught his eyes. It was a happy worm, lying on four poles looking ready to start its metamorphosis. "Poppy installed a Fun Meter in my army!" It was no wonder why so many trolls had showed up! He face-palmed. That was not going the way he had intended for it to go.

Fern entered the stadium, marching straight to Branch, who had his back turned to him. He couldn't believe the nerve of that guy! If they were pretending did it mean they were just friends? That Poppy was free? He felt a rush of hot anger rising to his throat. She had masterminded a plan so she wouldn't keep her promise to him and got Branch involved to help her out. It wasn't fair! He stopped right in front of the teal troll.

"Hey, Fern. I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now. I'm trying to figure this out." He pointed at a caterpillar, happily swinging around like he was having the time of his life.

"Why don't we tickle our enemies until they go away? It will make them Happy, right?" Biggie suggested.

"Or we da-a-a-ance their way out." Guy Diamond noted, making some dance moves with his feet.

"Guys, this is serious!" Branch groaned in irritation. It wasn't possible that he was the only one in the village who could have a practical view of things.

"Poppy said we must have fun while defending the village." Biggie insisted.

Branch needed time and asked for someone to take the Fun Meter off. There was no way he was going to train a defense strategy with a happy worm smiling at him.

"I really need a word with you." Fern said, not giving Branch time to deny him. He shoved the smaller troll outside the stadium, looking very annoyed and attracting some curious attention towards them. "Why are you pretending to be Poppy's husband?"

Branch was taken by surprise. He wasn't prepared to be interrogated about their relationship. He wondered how Fern had figured it out in the first place. The body-builder troll looked threatening with his arms crossed and a fuming face.

"How did she involve you into playing this?" Fern pressed on, making Branch frown. "Or was it your idea? Aren't you ashamed to come in between us?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about, Fern." Branch took a step back, watching his opponent in case he decided to physically attack.

"I was waiting for her to come back to me!" Fern yelled, making Branch raise his arms, fearing for his safety. "I was going to make her so happy!"

"I'm sure there's a misunderstanding here."

"When mom told me she had returned, I wanted to pick things from where we've left, but you had to be there!" Fern was so mad he didn't think about his actions. He just wanted to hurt Branch and so he did what he thought would cause more damage. He got even: he lied. "She seemed to miss me, the way she kissed me back in the gym..."

And Branch didn't hear anything after that. There was only a buzzing sound, like his brain had just switched off. ‘Pick things from where they've left?’ Fern had kissed Poppy? They were actually together when she spent her time with Miss Guffin? Fern kissed her a few days ago!? The body builder troll shouted a few more things, which he didn't understand. He was shoved on the ground and blankly sat there, watching in slow motion as the other troll turned around furiously and stormed out of sight.

Everything felt numb. He didn't hear when Biggie called him, saying the Fun Meter was down. The training, the strategy... the map before him, nothing made much sense. His eyesight seemed cloudy and his mind couldn't connect to the real world the whole day. He bombed himself with images that he had avoided since he met Fern. It felt like his heart had been ripped out, thinking that Poppy's lips had belonged to another...

ooooooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooo

The sun was almost setting from what Poppy could see through a ventilation opening inside the kitchen. Branch had mentioned how much he liked the apple strudel she had baked when they were in the cabin, so why not treat her dear husband the way he deserved? He was giving his best to protect the village...

Besides, she wanted him in a good mood because tonight they would finish the gray troll tribe sadness once for all and she needed to convince him first. She checked her hug watch. Before next hug time he'd be there. She needed to get on his good side so he'd agree to go with her and Barb.

She spread pastry on the tray and noticed it was too quiet. She made her way to the next room and picked up Gary that had a specific button to turn on some music in case of excessive silence.

_ " Everybody loves the things you do _

_ From the way you talk _

_ To the way you move" _

Oh boy... she had to laugh. Branch had been listening to sad songs again. If she didn't know him her entire life, she would swear he was a ballad kind of troll. Well, she was cooking, she was not going to go through the songs to find something wiggly or she'd never get dinner done. Might as well let the playlist flow.

_ "Everybody here is watching you _

_ 'Cause you feel like home _

_ You're like a dream come true" _

She chopped the fresh apples, applying some lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon in the mix. The smell itself was delicious and she made sure the puff pastry was perfect before adding the sweet filling and rolling it. The oven was on the right temperature and she turned around to set the table with romantic decorations.

_ "But if by chance you're here alone _

_ Can I have a moment _

_ Before I go? _

_ 'Cause I've been by myself all night long _

_ Hoping you're someone I used to know" _

A delicious smell invaded his nostrils when Branch descended the bunker. It was getting dark outside and he knew Poppy had come home earlier to get dinner ready for when he arrived. The kitchen table was set with two plates of spinach and cheese manicotti, water and lit with candlelight. His heart tightened and he felt torn between sad and angry.

_ "You look like a movie _

_ You sound like a song _

_ My God, this reminds me _

_ Of when we were young" _

How could she be so adorably thoughtful when she had been lying to him all the time? He felt her moving behind him, with her arms embracing him and her cheek firmly pressed against his back.

"Welcome home."

_ " Let me photograph you in this light _

_ In case it is the last time _

_ That we might be exactly like we were _

_ Before we realized _

_ We were sad of getting old _

_ It made us restless _

_ It was just like a movie _

_ It was just like a song" _

Branch couldn't do it. He couldn't pretend he was happy, he couldn't hug her back, he couldn't eat the food she had cooked, not when his stomach was churning with anger. He sighed, controlling himself, and turned around, placing his hands on her. He saw how big his hands were in comparison to hers. They completely covered her shoulders and most part of her upper arms. She looked so frail staring up at him like that, with her smiling faltering in a way that he almost gave up talking.

But he couldn't; if he brushed that off they wouldn't be getting into that marriage right. They had to clear things up... they had to clear everything up.

_ " I was so scared to face my fears _

_ Nobody told me that you'd be here _

_ And I swear you moved overseas _

_ That's what you said, when you left me" _

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly, fear becoming evident in her eyes.

"Come here." He sighed, leading her to the couch where he sat down by her side and after a long torturous silence, he blurted it out. "You kissed Fern." It wasn't a question. He watched her face play through a few emotions and stop, stunned, as if trapped. Her eyes closed; she placed both hands on her face, hiding, ashamed.

_ "You still look like a movie _

_ You still sound like a song _

_ My God, this reminds me _

_ Of when we were young" _

"It's not..." Her voice failed, her shoulders started shaking and he saw tears dripping from between her fingers. It scared him to see her sobbing. He had never seen Poppy cry, not like that, it was almost possible to feel her pain. Her chest constricting and lips parted, muttering sounds of anguish and raspy breaths.

He wanted to hold her and say he was sorry. He was going overboard exposing her like that. Maybe they should just forget it all happened. But the way she was crying... did she love Fern that much? He was so sad and so desperate for answers.

_ " Let me photograph you in this light _

_ In case it is the last time _

_ That we might be exactly like we were _

_ Before we realized _

_ We were sad of getting old _

_ It made us restless _

_ It was just like a movie _

_ It was just like a song" _

"For marriage to work we need to be honest with each other." Branch started saying. He embraced her, bringing her close to rest her head on his chest, planting a soft kiss on top of her head. "You keep hiding things from me. How can I trust you?" She cried harder.

"I've never… Never with Fern." She managed to say and that only triggered his anger. He pushed her away and stood up. "You have to believe me."

_ "It's hard to admit that _

_ Everything just takes me back _

_ To when you were there _

_ To when you were there _

_ And a part of me keeps holding on _

_ Just in case it hasn't gone _

_ I guess I still care _

_ Do you still care?" _

"I don't  _ have _ to believe you, Poppy." He said it too harshly to sound like he was willing to give her a chance to explain herself. "Who am I supposed to believe you? You won't tell me the whole story and a guy just told me you kissed him! So Miss Guffin was right, you were betrothed!? Just tell me everything at once!"

"I can't tell you!" Poppy yelled back, making him stop in the middle of the room like his world was crumbling and he didn't know if he was on firm ground. She would never tell him, he realized. They stared at each other for a long time, their anger thick in the air, cheeks flushed, eyes red with tears.

_ "It was just like a movie _

_ It was just like a song _

_ My God, this reminds me _

_ Of when we were young" _

She couldn't stay there anymore.

She needed to clear her head.

She needed fresh air.

Besides, Barb was already out there waiting.

With a heavy heart she brushed past him, while he watched her go. He couldn't believe she was walking away. Something told him to hold her, to ask for forgiveness, to stop her from going alone outside where the cloudy night hid the moon, making it darker than usual. She looked so small when she stepped on the elevator and the fire she usually held within her had been extinguished. She was one drop from going gray again.

_ "Let me photograph you in this light _

_ In case it is the last time _

_ That we might be exactly like we were _

_ Before we realized _

_ We were sad of getting old _

_ It made us restless" _

"I can't tell you..." He heard her whispering, placing her hand on the lever and pushing it up. She turned to face him as she was lifted to the surface. "... because I Pinky Promised."

_ "I'm so mad I'm getting old _

_ It makes me reckless _

_ It was just like a movie _

_ It was just like a song" _


	12. The Lie

They stayed married and lived happily ever after. Branch rolled his eyes at the ending of the trilogy. The millionaire seemed to be dangerous, but he was all soft inside. Shocker. The book just helped him get the courage to act on one thing he had wanted to try for a while. A splashing noise came from the bathroom and, through a small opening on the unlocked door, he could see Poppy wrapping herself in a fluffy towel. He hid the books in Poppy's drawer, so she wouldn't be suspicious that he had read them.

He grabbed another book and leaned against the headboard, pretending he had been waiting for her the whole time. It was already late and he had had a full day. His legs ached from walking around to supervise and correct the trolls that had enlisted in the training. The softness of the new mattress did wonders to relax him. He had never had access to that type of comfort, but he was very glad to have it now.

She walked inside and sat at the vanity (which he had brought from her pod), giving him a smile through the mirror. He watched the hypnotic movement that the brush made untangling her locks after she had let the hair down from the head wrap. The fabric itself was interesting. It was silk, blue and, when she undid the knot, he realized it was a scarf.

An idea occurred to him.

He didn't know if he should do it, feeling awkward, but, at the same time, very tempted. She rubbed a strawberry scented lotion on her face and neck, stirring a flame inside him. As she obliviously continued his torture, he closed the book and leaned against the pillow, watching her intensely.

"Can I see that?" He asked, pointing at the scarf. She followed his finger and grabbed the blue silk, handing it to him while checking on her eyes. He felt the cool fabric with his fingers, wondering what kind of reaction she'd have. He noticed her short pajama set had a drawstring tie at the waist. So very convenient...

Coming from his reverie when the mattress shifted, he felt Poppy snuggling contently next to him, pressing her whole body against his right side. She felt so good, so soft. A gentle smile colored her lips when their eyes met. His hands snaked around her waist and she rested hers on his upper arms, hugging each other, grinning like fools. They could stay forever just like that, diving into each other' souls in silence. It was their Happy place.

**XX-XX**

Gradually, they started understanding each other's body language. She'd focus on his lips and he knew she wanted a kiss. When he complied, if they were lying down in each other's arms, she'd press against him and slowly lean her head back on the pillow, inviting him to climb on top of her.

Her hand played with his hair as he deepened their kiss, claiming her lips gently at first, but slowly pressing more urgently, more passionately. His own hands explored her skin underneath her top, pushing it up until she lifted her head to allow him to yank it off; taking advantage of her distractingly attacking his lips, he pulled her pajama cord off.

He showered her neck with kisses and bites, draining the cutest sounds from her. He felt his heart pounding wildly as he dared to push her hands above her head. She didn't even notice what he was doing until she tried to embrace him and felt her tied wrists. He grinned devilishly at her wide-eyes, placing a soft, lovingly kiss on her lips, reassuring her that he didn't mean any harm.

She relaxed under his touch again, kissing back, this time more earnest. He left her lips, watching how reddish they were from his insistent and passionate assault. She licked them open in anxiety as he blindfolded her with the blue scarf. He continued their battle of tongues until he felt she was ready for more, being hinted by her legs moving up to hook around his hip.

He kissed her neck, trailing down her collarbone, then down her chest slowly making his way to her tummy, feeling her shivering under his touch. He grinned when he realized she couldn't cover herself in embarrassment, which she would probably do if he hadn't restrained her, so placed his lips on her hot skin again, going lower...

She gasped.

**XX-XX**

oooooooooooooooOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooooOOOooooo

Next morning, Poppy sat in the kitchen, drinking tea and feeling giddy. She felt like screaming jubilantly and, at the same time, felt incredibly self-conscious. Somehow, she feared Branch and herself were developing some kind of mental connection, because it wasn't possible that he knew exactly what to do, how to love her the way she wanted, how to touch her the way she was craving for.

He sat in front of her a few minutes later with a messy hair and his brown robe wrapped around him. He grinned at her like a fool, playing with the hot coffee mug she had placed in front of him - safely using a coaster, of course. With one hand supporting his chin, he sighed. They didn't have to say anything. Both had never been more satisfied.

"You know... you were right." He said after a few sips, getting the courage he needed to reveal his secret to her. She pressed her lips quizzically, still having some difficulty to find words since their heated activities the night before. He reached inside his robe and revealed the trilogy she thought she had hid from him. "These are very good instructions."

Her jaw dropped, her cheeks heating. She felt mortified... and giggly.

"How... I mean... I didn't... I-I-I..." As she struggled to find words, he wisely got his Bunker List from his hair, opening it right in front of her.

"Read a Trollmance novel cover to cover. Check."

ooooooooooooOOOOOoooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooOOOooo

"I don't get it, are they still pretending to be married, Mr. Dinkles?"

Fern heard someone saying below him. He was hanging from a tree, using its offshoot as a straight bar for dip workout. The blue troll with a yellow worm walked from a pod to the middle of the village, where the others were gathering to start the training inside the stadium.

"I mean, they wouldn't get married for real without a proper royal ceremony, would they?" Immediately, Fern knew he was talking Poppy and Branch. Get married for real? Did it mean they weren't really married? So it had been pretend? All this time? The kiss he witnessed, the rings? They were all one big farce? He felt a pang in his heart and almost fell head down from the tree.

Branch looked down at the list in his hands. The amount of trolls who signed up grew considerably since he announced Fern was leading the body boot camp... well... mostly girls signed up... Okay, he could deal with a few girls drooling over the coach, right? He smirked at everybody lined up in front of him. It was like a dream coming true. Finally trolls took safety protocols seriously.

"Morning everyone!" He looked up to check the weather and something caught his eyes. It was a happy worm, lying on four poles looking ready to start its metamorphosis. "Poppy installed a Fun Meter in my army!" It was no wonder why so many trolls had showed up! He face-palmed. That was not going the way he had intended for it to go.

Fern entered the stadium, marching straight to Branch, who had his back turned to him. He couldn't believe the nerve of that guy! If they were pretending did it mean they were just friends? That Poppy was free? He felt a rush of hot anger rising to his throat. She had masterminded a plan so she wouldn't keep her promise to him and got Branch involved to help her out. It wasn't fair! He stopped right in front of the teal troll.

"Hey, Fern. I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now. I'm trying to figure this out." He pointed at a caterpillar, happily swinging around like he was having the time of his life.

"Why don't we tickle our enemies until they go away? It will make them Happy, right?" Biggie suggested.

"Or we da-a-a-ance their way out." Guy Diamond noted, making some dance moves with his feet.

"Guys, this is serious!" Branch groaned in irritation. It wasn't possible that he was the only one in the village who could have a practical view of things.

"Poppy said we must have fun while defending the village." Biggie insisted.

Branch needed time and asked for someone to take the Fun Meter off. There was no way he was going to train a defense strategy with a happy worm smiling at him.

"I really need a word with you." Fern said, not giving Branch time to deny him. He shoved the smaller troll outside the stadium, looking very annoyed and attracting some curious attention towards them. "Why are you pretending to be Poppy's husband?"

Branch was taken by surprise. He wasn't prepared to be interrogated about their relationship. He wondered how Fern had figured it out in the first place. The body-builder troll looked threatening with his arms crossed and a fuming face.

"How did she involve you into playing this?" Fern pressed on, making Branch frown. "Or was it your idea? Aren't you ashamed to come in between us?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about, Fern." Branch took a step back, watching his opponent in case he decided to physically attack.

"I was waiting for her to come back to me!" Fern yelled, making Branch raise his arms, fearing for his safety. "I was going to make her so happy!"

"I'm sure there's a misunderstanding here."

"When mom told me she had returned, I wanted to pick things from where we've left, but you had to be there!" Fern was so mad he didn't think about his actions. He just wanted to hurt Branch and so he did what he thought would cause more damage. He got even: he lied. "She seemed to miss me, the way she kissed me back in the gym..."

And Branch didn't hear anything after that. There was only a buzzing sound, like his brain had just switched off. Pick things from where they've left? Fern had _kissed_ Poppy? They were actually together when she spent her time with Miss Guffin? Fern kissed her a few days ago!? The body builder troll shouted a few more things, which he didn't understand. He was shoved on the ground and blankly sat there, watching in slow motion as the other troll turned around furiously and stormed out of sight.

Everything felt numb. He didn't hear when Biggie called him, saying the Fun Meter was down. The training, the strategy... the map before him, nothing made much sense. His eyesight seemed cloudy and his mind couldn't connect to the real world the whole day. He bombarded himself with images that he had avoided since he met Fern. It felt like his heart had been ripped out, thinking that Poppy's lips had belonged to another...

ooooooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooo

The sun was almost setting from what Poppy could see through a ventilation opening inside the kitchen. Branch had mentioned how much he liked the apple strudel she had baked when they were in the cabin, so why not treat her dear husband the way he deserved? He was giving his best to protect the village...

Besides, she wanted him in a good mood because tonight they would finish the gray troll tribe sadness once for all and she needed to convince him first. She checked her hug watch. Before next hug time he'd be there. She needed to get on his good side so he'd agree to go with her and Barb.

She spread pastry on the tray and noticed it was too quiet. She made her way to the next room and picked up Gary that had a specific button to turn on some music in case of excessive silence.

 _"_ _Everybody loves the things you do_ _  
__From the way you talk_ _  
__To the way you move"_

Oh boy... she had to laugh. Branch had been listening to sad songs again. If she didn't know him her entire life, she would swear he was a ballad kind of troll. Well, she was cooking, she was not going to go through the songs to find something wiggly or she'd never get dinner done. Might as well let the playlist flow.

 _"Everybody here is watching you_ _  
__'Cause you feel like home_ _  
__You're like a dream come true"_

She chopped the fresh apples, applying some lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon in the mix. The smell itself was delicious and she made sure the puff pastry was perfect before adding the sweet filling and rolling it. The oven was on the right temperature and she turned around to set the table with romantic decorations.

 _"But if by chance you're here alone_ _  
__Can I have a moment_ _  
__Before I go?_ _  
__'Cause I've been by myself all night long_ _  
__Hoping you're someone I used to know"_

A delicious smell invaded his nostrils when Branch descended the bunker. It was getting dark outside and he knew Poppy had come home earlier to get dinner ready for when he arrived. The kitchen table was set with two plates of spinach and cheese manicotti, water and lit with candlelight. His heart tightened and he felt torn between sad and angry.

 _"You look like a movie_ _  
__You sound like a song_ _  
__My God, this reminds me_ _  
__Of when we were young"_

How could she be so adorably thoughtful when she had been lying to him all the time? He felt her moving behind him, with her arms embracing him and her cheek firmly pressed against his back.

"Welcome home."

 _"_ _Let me photograph you in this light_ _  
__In case it is the last time_ _  
__That we might be exactly like we were_ _  
__Before we realized_ _  
__We were sad of getting old_ _  
__It made us restless_ _  
__It was just like a movie_ _  
__It was just like a song"_

Branch couldn't do it. He couldn't pretend he was happy, he couldn't hug her back, he couldn't eat the food she had cooked, not when his stomach was churning with anger. He sighed, controlling himself, and turned around, placing his hands on her. He saw how big his hands were in comparison to hers. They completely covered her shoulders and most part of her upper arms. She looked so frail staring up at him like that, with her smiling faltering in a way that he almost gave up talking.

But he couldn't; if he brushed that off they wouldn't be getting into that marriage right. They had to clear things up... they had to clear everything up.

 _"_ _I was so scared to face my fears_ _  
__Nobody told me that you'd be here_ _  
__And I swear you moved overseas_ _  
__That's what you said, when you left me"_

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly, fear becoming evident in her eyes.

"Come." He sighed, leading her to the couch where he sat down by her side and after a long torturous silence, he blurted it out. "You kissed Fern." It wasn't a question. He watched her face play through a few emotions and stop, stunned, as if trapped. Her eyes closed; she placed both hands on her face, hiding, ashamed.

 _"_ _You still look like a movie_ _  
__You still sound like a song_ _  
__My God, this reminds me_ _  
__Of when we were young"_

"It's not..." Her voice failed, her shoulders started shaking and he saw tears dripping from between her fingers. It scared him to see her sobbing. He had never seen Poppy cry, not like that, it was almost possible to feel her pain. Her chest constricting and lips parted, muttering sounds of anguish and raspy breaths.

He wanted to hold her and say he was sorry. He was going overboard exposing her like that. Maybe they should just forget it all happened. But the way she was crying... did she love Fern that much? He was so sad and so desperate for answers.

 _"_ _Let me photograph you in this light_ _  
__In case it is the last time_ _  
__That we might be exactly like we were_ _  
__Before we realized_ _  
__We were sad of getting old_ _  
__It made us restless_ _  
__It was just like a movie_ _  
__It was just like a song"_

"For marriage to work we need to be honest with each other." Branch started saying. He embraced her, bringing her close to rest her head on his chest, planting a soft kiss on top of her head. "You keep hiding things from me. How can I trust you?" She cried harder.

"I've never...Never with Fern." She managed to say and that only triggered his anger. He pushed her away and stood up. "You have to believe me."

 _"_ _It's hard to admit that_ _  
__Everything just takes me back_ _  
__To when you were there_ _  
__To when you were there_ _  
__And a part of me keeps holding on_ _  
__Just in case it hasn't gone_ _  
__I guess I still care_ _  
__Do you still care?"_

"I don't _have_ to believe you, Poppy." He said it too harshly to sound like he was willing to give her a chance to explain herself. "Who am I supposed to believe? You won't tell me the whole story and a guy just told me you kissed him! So Miss Guffin was right, you were betrothed!? Just tell me everything at once!"

"I can't tell you!" Poppy yelled back, making him stop in the middle of the room like his world was crumbling and he didn't know if he was in firm ground. She would never tell him, he realized. They stared at each other for a long time, their anger thick in the air, cheeks flushed, eyes red with tears.

 _"_ _It was just like a movie_ _  
__It was just like a song_ _  
__My God, this reminds me_ _  
__Of when we were young"_

She couldn't stay there anymore.

She needed to clear her head.

She needed fresh air.

Besides, Barb was already out there waiting.

With a heavy heart she brushed past him, while he watched her go. He couldn't believe she was walking away. Something told him to hold her, to ask for forgiveness, to stop her from going alone outside where the cloudy night hid the moon, making it darker than usual. She looked so small when she stepped on the elevator and the fire she usually held within her had extinguished. She was one drop from going gray again.

 _"_ _Let me photograph you in this light_ _  
__In case it is the last time_ _  
__That we might be exactly like we were_ _  
__Before we realized_ _  
__We were sad of getting old_ _  
__It made us restless"_

"I can't tell you..." He heard her whispering, placing her hand on the lever and pushing it up. She turned to face him as she was lifted to the surface. "... because I Pinky Promised."

_"I'm so mad I'm getting old_

_It makes me reckless_

_It was just like a movie_

_It was just like a song"_


	13. The Gray Tribe

It was too dark for a regular night. Not even the stars were shining and the cloudy sky threatened to pour on Pop Village any moment. Barb stood inside the mouth of her angus bus just a few meters away from Branch's bunker, arms crossed and looking anxious for departure.

When Pop Queen showed up, all jokes were swallowed up. Barb had seen Poppy angry, feisty, worried, but never sad, not with puffy eyes, wobbly legs and shaking shoulders. Barb wasn't the kind of girl who knew how to hug and make things better; when someone was acting down she'd just tell them to man up and face whatever problem they had. But this was Poppy....

"Is everything okay, Pops?"

"Is it ready?" Poppy asked in return, drying what remained of her tears.

"Yeah.... I suppose boy-toy isn't coming."

"We had a fight." Poppy said, climbing inside the unzipped mouth. "It's better if we go by ourselves."

"Are you sure he's going to take it well if we go like that??" Barb insisted, looking at the trapdoor, waiting for the teal troll to come running after Poppy and jump inside.

"No, Barb, I'm not sure." Poppy was certain that it would get her even in more trouble with him, but she had to fix everything with the gray tribe. She had to stop the potential threat so she could go back to her normal life, send Fern back to the peaks and try to save what was left of her marriage.

"Well, the rockers are going with us so we'll have backup."

"And I believe they'll be enough."

Barb sighed and sat down on the torn couch in the middle of her royal room. Poppy hugged her knees, burying her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes angrily.

"I have to tell you something, Popsqueak, and I won't blame you if you hate me." She sat down next to the rock queen in curiosity.

"Hair, Barb, I could never hate you." Poppy put a gentle hand on her shoulder, offering a bit of comfort that she didn't even know if Barb was acquainted with. Did Barb have Hug Time?

"I think I've been played." Now that was news. "I told you before I messed things with their leader. You see... I've got the World Tour Guitar from this guy, he fixes cord instruments. He told me I could reunite the nation under rock as long as I returned the guitar later."

"With the Strings?" Poppy asked, looking suspiciously at Barb.

"I didn't think that far. Heck, I didn't know they had that much power." Barb was considering using her chainsaw to burn up the hate she was feeling towards the luthier. "He lives in a cave behind the gray tribe, I think he's their leader..."

Poppy's eyes narrowed and she looked at her feet. She wasn't confused as she thought she would be. It made sense, after all every tribe had a leader. Maybe it made things even easier, after singing she could just find him and show how to keep everybody happy.

"... and there's something else." Barb looked around to make sure they were alone. "I'm listening to a voice in my head." She revealed, making Poppy blink a few times. "It keeps saying to take you to the gray trolls." Poppy felt her stomach tighten. So she wasn't the only one hearing voices.

"I'm hearing voices, too." Poppy whispered and did her best to continue looking vibrant under Barb's prolonged stare, "the one in my head insists I listen to a music that is being composed in my heart."

"Pops... is there something you're not telling me?" Barb leaned closer with her heart pounding desperately inside her ribcage. It made sense if she could hear voices, she just assumed it was the luthier trying to control her, but Poppy too?

"I absorbed the Strings when I smashed them..." Poppy took a deep breath. "Don't tell anybody, please. I didn't tell Branch about the voice or the music. I'm trying to figure it out by myself." Barb was stupefied. She shot up from the couch, pacing around and felt like trashing something. She was so angry with herself. Sensing Barb was getting angry, Poppy immediately tried to make amends. "I'm really close to figuring it out..."

"Figure it out how, Poppy? We were standing close to each other when you smashed the Strings... I held them when they disappeared, I probably got... got... caught by some of them when they waved back at you." She couldn't stop pacing around. "This is too much!"

"If you have some of the Strings inside you, too then you also feel the answer, right?" Poppy stood up, trying to do what she did best: hug the Rock Queen; even if she wasn't going to be hugged back. "Once the gray trolls are happy, the Strings will have fulfilled their purpose and they'll just be gone."

Barb watched her, not responding. Maybe together, both girls could put an end on the Strings once for all... tonight.

"What kind of song do you think will make them happy?"

"I was thinking about Lady Marmalade..."

"You've GOT to be kiddin' me!"

Poppy laughed, it was so much fun teasing Barb, even when she didn't feel like making jokes or having fun at all. She pressed against the glass window, watching as they flew by rivers and hills towards the gray tribe.

"Pops, do you still think it's a good idea to try to sing a Happy song when you're not Happy yourself?"

"I'm happy." Poppy answered, giving her a smile. A smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I've got my colors, so I can help them to find theirs."

"We're landing in five." Riff said from the front.

Poppy and Barb turned their attention outside. They saw the big mass of gray trolls sitting around. Some had built up a fire, others were lying wrapped in leaves and some just stared into the sky. Their dark hair crowded up on the bottom of the valley, protected by the hills and blending in with its monotone shades.

"There are so many of them..." Poppy couldn't believe her eyes. They were the biggest tribe she had ever seen.

Barb felt Poppy placing a hand on her arm and with that simple touch the rock queen understood a lot of things about her friend. The Pop queen was scared, but also determined. She envied that determination because it meant she would go through the plan no matter what.

That was one brave woman to admire.

"Rockers!" Barb said, turning around to face her friends. "Stay alert for any unusual movement. We don't know these trolls, we don't know what they're capable of."

The mouth unzipped and both Poppy and Barb stepped out, followed by the other rock trolls holding their instruments. They could barely blink at the immensity of the sad troll sea below them. They weren't prepared if things turned ugly. Ugly how, they couldn't say, but they all shared the same dreadful feeling.

Barb hid behind a couple of stones, crouching down and slowly making her way to where they had installed the microphone. Poppy, sensing she should follow, went after her, feeling incredibly exposed because of her skin color. It was like she was shining light in the middle of dark.

"Maybe you shouldn't go for a mashup right away." Barb whispered, perching herself to look below them. "We don't want to fright them."

Poppy looked up to find something inspiring. Down in the valley she saw a shape of Greek theater. She felt like trying the acoustic from there. She had a thrilling chill just to imagine standing there.

The sky had cleared a little, there were a few stars out now and she was able to connect them, forming Branch's outline. Her heart warmed up. He was smiling at her the way he usually did after they made love. It was a good trick to ride the waves of Happiness. Thinking about him would always make her the happiest.... although the feeling that their fight provided still lingered.

The feedback whined when Poppy picked up the microphone. She felt incredibly aware of everything around her: Barb breathing heavily, barely blinking, the small stones underneath her feet, pricking into her skin to the bruising point, the wind moving her hair and adding dust to her cold-sweat. She rose to her toes and noticed that even standing in a safe distance from the tribe, they spotted her.

One gray troll that was sitting near, at the bottom of the hill, stood up, looking fixedly at her, as if waiting. His movement dragged the attention of another troll who opened his eyes and turned his head to find Poppy standing there. Another troll did the same, and so the other... The pink queen felt her body shaking. Soon all eyes were turned to her.

The rockers behind her stood in silence, as scared as she was. She thought it was going to be a sing-party like she had done with the Bergens, but, watching the gray tribe under her, she felt it wasn't going to be as easy.

The song in her heart was silent. She couldn't even remember a note.

Barb immediately stood up, panicking, and playing her guitar in a solo introduction. Maybe any music would do. Poppy smiled at her, closing her eyes and singing.

_ "So close, no matter how far _

_ Couldn't be much more from the heart _

_ Forever trusting who we are _

_ And nothing else matters" _

She was so glad Barb was with her into this. The sound of her guitar was so beautiful and so heart-warming, she felt like being taken in gentle ripples, floating away from a self-doubting island. The song was perfect, even if it wasn't the one she was meant to sing, maybe she still could play the Strings with it.

It was a great choice to start a show and slowly work to something upbeat. It was like looking down into an abyss of despair and reaching a hand to help every single gray troll out. She was born to do it, she was born to make people Happy.

She felt Barb's urgent hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes. The song died on her lips. The first gray troll stepped forward, followed by the others. They crawled their way towards the hill, slipping and falling down continually. They cried, they yelled, they begged for Happiness.

"Let's get out of here!" Barb yelled, pulling Poppy towards the angus bus mouth, followed by the other rockers. The pink queen seemed in shock, still looking down, thinking that she could fix their hearts.

"There are too many of them!" Riff said, looking down as they took off, trying to fly out of reach. Poppy felt terrible. She couldn't turn her back on them. She couldn't simply give up!

"Argh!" One of the rockers cried. Nobody had seen he was still standing on the fin before taking flight.

"Give me your hand!" Barb shouted, reaching her hand out for him, having Poppy holding her down with her hair. The pink queen was held by Riff and Carol, who were grunting under the weight of three people they had to support. Poppy saw a flash of gray under her. A single troll managed to climb up the hill and jumped on the rocker's foot, making his hand slip from Barb's, dragging him down with them. "No!"

Poppy held a struggling Barb with her hair and with great effort, she was able to push the Queen of Rock back into the ship just after watching, horrified as the other rocker fell in the middle of the tribe, quickly turning gray himself.

"We need to come back more prepared." Poppy whispered, still feeling her heart racing. "We need to save him."

"How do we prepare for something like this?" Barb opened her arms, as if she was stating the obvious.

Poppy didn't know what else to say. She was sad, she was desperate and lost. What would Branch say if he was there?

ooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooOOOooo

Branch looked everywhere in the village and couldn't find her. He didn't want to alert the others because he was sure she was hiding from him because of their fight. He wouldn't bring others into this. They were both adults and they would solve it on their own. He just wished the feeling that something was wrong would go away.

Looking up the tree where he usually visited her, he found her old pod with the lights on. Branch exhaled in relief. She had just returned to where she had first felt at home. He jumped inside, sure he would find her in a corner hiding in her hair, but instead, he found Fern sitting at her desk, reading her scrapbooks.

A rush of anger nearly blinded him. That guy was the source of his fight with Poppy. That guy was going through her personal stuff. Branch took a shaky deep breath, taking the scrapbook from Fern (who just then saw him) and closing it shut. One hand stood firmly on top of the book, his eyes were red from crying and he needed an emotional excuse to act on his instincts. He really wanted to knock a few teeth from Fern's white smile.

"I want you to go away. We don't need you here anymore." Branch said, words coming out of his mouth in disgust.

"I'm not going anywhere before I have a word with the Queen." Fern said firmly, standing up.

"She's not comfortable with you here." Branch knew it was the truth. Poppy seemed to hold herself back wherever Fern was near.

"It's a private matter that I must discuss with her." Fern insisted with shaking hands. He felt so betrayed, so sad and angry... his eyes burned with tears. He almost dropped to his knees sobbing. Fern had lost Poppy because he had been so young then and he didn't know how to treat her properly. He hated to admit that Branch was way better than he would ever be. "If you're so interested.... why don't you look at the scrapbook in your hands?"

Not being able to stay and see, Fern jumped from the pod and stood against the trunk outside, waiting for Branch to come out crushed by the truth so they could talk it through... or punch each other to pulps. 

Inside, Branch looked at the scrapbook under his palm. It was Poppy's personal journal and it was wrong on so many levels to just open it... he felt like Cloud Guy invading his privacy on Hug Day. But he had to know what had happened between her and Fern... because Poppy left crying and now Fern had cried, too. His peace of mind begged for the truth.

The first page was a cute little Poppy character with pigtails cheering when she had her braces removed. It was impossible not to smile at that. The next scrapbooked page was of her and Miss Guffin in a very complicated lesson about the right forks and knives to use in a formal dinner. Apparently Poppy had been very frustrated because she couldn't get it right. Then there were several pages about her hair-jitsu training, like breaking bricks with a hair chop and kicking until her knees were sore. He frowned in a page where Fern was kissing her bruised knuckles and she had written down he was a great friend.

His heart stopped at the last page. She was presenting herself for the black belt and Fern was next to her. He noticed the Fern character was roughly cut, like when she stress-scrapbooked her way to a happy place. He pulled a tag and both characters that were standing up, bowing, suddenly fell on each other in what seemed to be a very compromising position.

He averted his eyes. So that was it, Poppy and Fern might not have dated, but they kissed. He looked at the scrapbook again and something caught his attention. Poppy character wasn't smiling. Very much the opposite.

Fury blinded him, his brain jumped to the worst conclusion possible. Fern had hurt Poppy!

oooooooooooOOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOOooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooo

Poppy sat on the couch, wearily waiting for Branch to show up. It was almost dawn and her night had been so full of different events that she couldn't think straight, but she wouldn't go to bed before Branch arrived. Her heart felt heavy. He was already angry at her because of Fern, once she told him she had gone with Barb to see the gray tribe he'd be furious.

To calm herself down, she scrapbooked. It was a single colorful page of herself, one big heart and the six colorful Strings tangled inside it. The scrapbook didn't look right, though. The Strings looked wrong. Not knowing what to do, she picked the colorful pieces of paper that represented the Strings and started cutting them down to small squares - really small - almost glitter shaped. She poured them down inside the heart, thinking that maybe she had gotten it right.

The elevator moved and her stomach dropped. It was now or never. She stood up, smiling gently like she usually did when he was near. The platform descended and he came to view. She was walking towards him when she abruptly stopped, fully seeing the sight before her. His left eye was swollen, a cut on his upper lip, bruises all over his arms and from what she could see from the opening of his leaf vest, a bigger dark wound on his side.

"What happened?" She felt tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe somebody had hurt him that much. Walking closer, she put a hand on his face and he winced. "Come and sit down, I'll clean you up." Both his arms were around her before she could walk away to fetch the first aid kit. His hand turned into fits on her hair, shaking up with regret.

"I looked everywhere for you." He whispered painfully, resting his chin on her shoulder. He had been so scared he'd never see her again. She hugged him back but not tightening her arms around him and not caring if he was staining her dress with blood.

She managed to take him to the couch, helping him down. With a cold ice pack on his eye, she made him stay quiet as she quietly sprayed antiseptic in each cut. She had to bite her lip down, refraining herself from commenting when she saw the huge bruise on his rib. She recognized the pattern of the bruises, the attacks, punches and jabs were Fern's. He had engaged in a real fight with her master.

"I know I'm not a pretty sight..." He said quietly, looking up at her with one eye. "But now I know what happened. Fern told me the whole thing." He sat up, holding her firmly in his arms. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"I don't like keeping things from you." She put a band-aid on his cheek.

"He said he tried to..." Oh... if Fern had told Branch what happened then it meant she was free of her promise, right? So she could talk freely about it.

"He tried to kiss me when I got my black belt." Poppy cut him off. She didn't look up to his eyes, staring at a deep cut on his side. Maybe he was going to need stitches. "He held me down and I was scared. I never trusted him again."

"He said it was  _ all _ he did..." Branch just wanted to make sure. Now, it made sense why she'd learn a type of fight her master wasn't acquainted with.

"Back then I said I'd tell Miss Guffin... and he made me pinky-promise to keep it a secret so she wouldn't be upset." Poppy still looked down, avoiding his face, she had to come clear once for all. "But Miss Guffin just assumed we were together in secret; she made plans and everything." Poppy cleaned the wound until it stopped bleeding, drying it with a gauze and patching it up in silence. "I tried to tell her I didn't like Fern that way, but instead I ended up promising that once I returned, I'd give him a chance. I avoided him since then."

Branch realized he had been an idiot. He had just accused her of dating someone when she just wanted to stay away from the one who had broken her trust. He already knew Poppy loved and respected Miss Guffin enough to wisely dance her way out of harsh comments. She'd never be straight forward and tell the mentor her son had been unkind. But it seemed her silence just increased the mentor's expectations.

"I don't want him in the village, anymore." Branch said, allowing her to support him as he limped to the bedroom. Fern should be as far away as possible. He had lied to get in between them. "We've agreed that he's going to the front. He's off to guard the roads."

Poppy nodded. She didn't want to see Fern again. He was a living memory of her failures. It had started with him. She thought he was a good friend and when she was distracted he tried to kiss her, making everything so confusing. But she was an eternally positive troll and trusted everyone at first sight. Then there was Creek, who had been a good friend for years and also stabbed her - and the whole village - in the back. She thought she had evened out her sense of trust and - against Branch's wise advice - blindly followed Hickory, who was just playing friendly to steal her String.

"I hurt you, as I feared." Branch said quietly, avoiding her eyes.

"No..." She moved her hand to gently grab his chin and turn his face so she could look deeply into his eyes. She had to show him she meant what she was going to say. "You could never hurt me. I don't expect to have the perfect relationship; we eventually will have fights, banters and everything just like we had before." She took a deep breath when she saw unshed tears on his eyes. "We are different and I love our differences. Despite the rain that eventually pours down on our summers, I know it's what makes our garden grow stronger than ever."

"I've said hurtful things, Poppy..." Hair, he had accused her of lying....

"Words can be misleading." She caressed his cheek. "I know you love me. It's in your actions, it's in the way you kiss me, and the way you embrace me... " And there it went again. He had messed up and she was the one who ended up making things right. That smile of hers warmed his insecurities. She helped him to lean down on his pillow, wincing sympathetically when he groaned in pain. They could have just stayed like that in silence and let their hearts heal, but... 

"Branch, I don't want to fight anymore." She managed to say, leaning down on her pillow next to him. "But I have to tell you where I've been..."

ooooooOOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooOOOooooo

Branch called it a War Committee, Poppy preferred to call it a Happiness Rescue Meeting. He sat on the edge of a large table with Poppy on his side. All leaders were there, sitting down and looking gravely at the map in front of them. One big red circle showed the exact location of the gray tribe, white dashes illustrated the roads they would probably take to get down to Pop Village.

Branch still was feeling like his world was crashing down. His healing wounds felt good enough to allow him to conduct the meeting like he had planned, but inside, he had to fight the will to confront Barb. He even avoided looking at her. It made no sense to him why she'd take Poppy to see the gray tribe and put her at risk. They had lost a troll to grayness and he couldn't help but think that it could have been his wife.

Poppy, naively, still believed she could sing and hug the gray trolls until they found their true colors, but after much insistence, she let Branch take the lead and conduct the plan. He had his share of guilt when she told him she and Barb had visited the tribe, pointlessly trying to cheer them up. That paralyzing guilt that reminded him she had gone on her own while feeling sad.

Now he knew for sure that Poppy was a ticking time-bomb. He knew his wife too well to figure she wouldn't be able to lay low for long. Soon she'd hatch a plan to sneak off to the gray tribe again and shower them candies, or maybe perform a mashup of bright sunny songs, or even to hug each one of them by surprise. She was capable of any reckless move if he didn't hurry.

King Quincy stared at the map with a frown. Queen Essence placed a gentle hand on her husband’s shoulder. Delta seemed worried about her frontiers and Trollzart was lost because Classical Trolls didn't have the fighting bone in their bodies. Trollex was pensive, but the one who caught Branch's attention was Barb. The Queen of Rock was playing with her hair, not really paying attention to the strategy he was coming up with.

"We can move our troops east to help you reinforce, Branch." King Quincy said. "We have about two hundred Funk Trolls who are always prepared for battle."

"I can delay them if they attack through Lonesome Flats." Delta said, "We're not experienced fighters, but we'll do our best, meanwhile, I'll have a team to race down and warn you about the route they're taking, so you can be prepared."

And as the leaders came forward, adding ideas and volunteering trolls to fight and defend her, Poppy felt everything was going terribly wrong. She mentally counted how many trolls would give their happiness (or maybe even their lives) to protect hers. It wasn't fair. She didn't want anybody fighting for her. She didn't want anybody fighting at all.

But they weren't fighting only for her, were they? It was all because of those stupid Strings... Strings together lead to fighting, Branch had said so. She'd never reject his ideas again, but they just didn't sound true to her heart.

"We can't win a war just with defenses." It was Prince D who said it, knowing he was rubbing a sensitive subject.

"Smidge is our best attacker." Branch said, looking at Poppy who seemed to be lost in thoughts. Hair... should they count on Fern?

"Where is she, anyway?" Biggie was the one who asked, being there in the meeting to write down the amendments.

"Today is her wedding day." Poppy sighed, standing up. "I don't want to discuss anything else. I'm her bridesmaid and I need to get ready."

"Oh, a wedding, how lovely!" Queen Essence commented, trying to sooth down the heavy atmosphere.

"Why don't you join us? Smidge will be delighted."

Branch really didn't want to stop the meeting there, but Poppy was right. They needed a break and the wedding was just the perfect refreshment. Trollzart, King Quincy and Queen Essence were the only ones who would stay for the party, the others returned home promising they would be back for the next meeting the following day.

After a decent amount of chocolate and a hot bath, Poppy felt like her spirits lifted and she was ready to step into her bridesmaid shoes. She opened the wardrobe, choosing the right underwear to match the color of the dress. She wanted Branch's opinion on the color of the stockings and went to find him.

He was sitting down at the couch, with a coffee mug on his hand, looking at a notebook on his lap and her gem next to him. She smiled and went straight to the kitchen, picking up a coaster and returning to place it on the side table. He could help but grin at her when he realized she always was so thoughtful she'd remember the simplest things. He put the mug and the gem aside and she sat on his lap, circling her arms around his neck and relaxing with a long sigh.

"What are you writing about?" She asked sweetly.

"Not writing just... drawing a probability curve..." That got her attention. He was all serious doing math?

"See... the gem is gradually changing." He explained, pointing at the heart shaped jewel. "I've noticed it in the cabin. The colors are dancing and mixing and I've crossed the changes with... well... when you're your Happiest."

"I'm not following..." She picked the notebook and saw what he was doing. She could have rolled her eyes. "Tell me you're not sketching a graph about my happiness level."

"This is pretty much the key to everything I think." Branch said, trying to ignore her annoyed look. "I mean, you've always been happy, right?" And he drew a straight line from left to right. "And you kept that level since you've absorbed the Strings. Miss Guffin said the Strings were forged from Happiness so... I'm guessing you can play the Strings when you reach a higher level of happiness." And he drew another line to represent her stable happy line, going up to represent a superior level and going down again when she gets back to her normal happy place. "This..." He drew a dot on the top of the graph. "Is the point where the magic happens, it's where the gem colors change." He really just wanted to scream eureka, but her puzzled face made him wonder if she had followed anything at all. He saw as she sighed and slowly bent down.

"What?" He asked quietly, foreheads touching.

"Are you still in pain?" She asked, giving him a kiss over the faint blue bruise on his eye. He had figured out how she played the Strings inside her. It was a matter of time until he realized she had a goal to achieve when she played them... and soon he'd realize that she insisted on singing to the gray tribe because she was composing a Freedom Song.

**XX-XX**

"Hm..." Sensing her intentions, he placed his hands on the small of her back, going down and giving her a small squeeze. "Not much."

"Good... because we are newlyweds and I have spent too much time away from you." She found his mouth, quickly invading it, making him moan in surprise before taking lead. He really wanted to take out all of the frustration of the past days. That was the perfect way to make it all better. Her rainbow colored gem shone brightly from the side table, but neither paid attention. He let himself succumb to her loving embrace, forgetting about Fern, about the gray tribe, about the defenses. She obviously didn't mind one bit. She enjoyed herself from the first ardent kiss to the moment he made her arch her back and scream out his name. Three times.


	14. The Wedding

The Luthier stood in the middle of the stone theater after another exhausting night of playing. All trolls seemed to have calmed down after catching the appetizing sight of the Pop Queen's Happiness. It wasn't their fault. It was like placing a feast in front of starving people and asking them not to eat because they would have to settle for the same tasteless soup they have been eating all their lives.

It was easier keeping them in check when they haven't seen the feast, when they haven't heard the laughter and when they haven't sniffed the warm spices that made their mouth water. But since the Pop Queen flashed her sugary Strings-filled self by the end of the World Tour, he couldn't hold them back anymore.

He was tired of holding them back.

When he saw her that night he thought he'd finally have a chance to personally meet her. He hoped that she would want to stay when he saw her trying to cheer them up. But she vanished in that plane. And he really needed her back.

So he limped quietly to three young gray trolls who were hiding in the shades since the scalding sun reached its midpoint. They didn't look up to him until he started telling them how colorful and sweet Pop Village was and how quick it was getting there by taking a shortcut out of the main roads...

He didn't stop them when they slipped through an opening in the stones. He just hoped that sending these gray trolls would encourage Pop Queen to return and to do what she was destined for.

ooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooo

Poppy looked like a Queen. It wasn't because it was her role or because she was the bridesmaid, but she was incredible in that dress. Branch had never seen her wear lace before and he was pretty much drooling over his wife during the whole ceremony. The lavender color brought out her skin tone; the front was beautifully adorned with glamorous rhinestones in the middle of the flowered patterns making her literally shine.

Branch stood in the front row, looking up at Poppy as she stood on the verge of tears by Smidge' side. He had to admit he was about to cry himself when his story with the pink queen flashed in his mind. She slowly tamed him. The wild village grouch didn't even realize what she was doing. From the first scrapbook she made she worked her way into his heart, always being thoughtful, always showing him she'd try again and again, because he was important; because he mattered.

He touched his face when he felt tears falling. 'there's risk of crying a bit if one allows oneself to be tamed', he mentally quoted. She had spent a long time watering his internal garden, he had let her do so and, as much as he wanted to fight it away, she had become the most important troll in the world. In his world.

Smidge and Milton shared their vows and Poppy looked at him, blushing while she remembered they had shared theirs in secret. Branch smiled goofily at her, taking in how her skin was glowing under the light fabric; the way the low cut front showed enough to make one curious and how the soft skirt revealed she had some interesting curves underneath it made him want to wrap his arms around her and cry 'mine' as loud as he could.

The ceremony ended with Smidge scooping Milton up and diving in for a passionate kiss, making some trolls laugh and others shed tears. Poppy was in the sobbing group. Branch walked towards her and offered his arm, which she gladly accepted. Her hair was tied in a braided knot over her left shoulder and the diamond vine drop earrings brightened her face, making her freckles sparkle.

"I can't wait to see you in a white dress." He whispered in her ear, making her blush even more. Classical music started, Branch slipped one arm around her petite waist and held her hand firmly to his. "Show me what you've got, twinkle toes." He teased and she followed him with a smirk, letting the music lead them.

It didn't come to a surprise when she revealed to be an incredible dancer, following his waltz moves like a professional. He didn't restrain himself from kissing her here and there. Most trolls were already used to seeing their public displays of affection, but somehow they always got at least three pictures taken each lip-lock.

Poppy admired her husband. He was unique. The way he pulled her closer, sending delicious chills down her spine - which she suspected was unconsciously done - was simply divine. She closed her eyes and touched her cheek to his, feeling his warm skin against hers. His natural scent was mind-blowing. He didn't have to work to look handsome, he was naturally attractive. It wasn't her eyes that saw his beauty, it wasn't her touch that described his softness. It was her heart that screamed he was her soul mate. 

She allowed her heart to sing...

Branch knew he'd do everything in power to defend that troll in his arms. He felt incredibly happy when she leaned her head on his chest, lazily following him. It felt like the world was fading away. His heart started beating faster. A tune was softy hummed and he looked down at her. She had a smile on her lips and her eyes closed.

A warm feeling entered his body from his toes, going up his legs, heating up his tights, pooling at his stomach and making its way up to his heart. He closed his eyes and pressed her closer. He had never heard the song she was humming, but he already loved it.

"I feel so Happy." someone said while dancing at their side.

Happy indeed, Branch could say that he and Poppy was forging a new Happy moment right then. It was the type of moment he had talked about, the kind that would make him want to stay in it forever.

"Hm... Queen Poppy...?" Queen Essence approached them, making Branch open his eyes. Around them floated the colorful glittering dust from the Strings. He looked down at Poppy and felt her tight grip, meaning she wasn't feeling weak like the other times.

The other trolls stopped dancing to stare at them, not knowing what was going on, only realizing that suddenly everyone was taken by a wave of Happiness.

_ "It's fully composed..." _

"Smile..." Poppy said quietly in his ear, sending shivers down his spine. The dance ended and she lifted her head, slowly opening her eyes as if she had woken up from the most pleasant dream. Her eyes found his, surprised when she saw the Strings were being exposed. She closed her eyes again and then they were gone. She could control them just fine now, Branch realized. "I heard it..." She said to him, smiling the most heart melting smile.

"What?" He asked, feeling a little weird to have all eyes on him.

"The music of my heart..." She felt so excited she could start jumping any moment. "I know what I have to do!"

"Hm... I'm a little lost here..." He eyed her suspiciously.

"Tomorrow morning we go to Volcano Rock City. I have to tell Barb!"

_ "It has the power of creation and destruction. Use it wisely." _

"Poppy run!"

A voice screamed in terror from the party entrance. A deafening silence followed. Smidge and Milton stood frozen in each other's arms, their faces covered in cake frosting and champagne glasses in their hands. DJ Suki stopped the music and the crowd didn't dare breathe too loud. The sound of running was heard from the distance and it approached, with someone panting. Branch stood protectively in front of Poppy, pushing her behind him when she instinctively tried to deal with the situation. The rushed steps stopped just in front of the door and a few drops of blood splattered on the floor.

"Aspen!" Poppy shouted, brushing past Branch and running towards her hurt friend. "What happened to you?"

"Poppy...." He breathed hard. "You must run as fast as you can." He managed to say, making the Pop Trolls gasp in terror. "I saw gray trolls in the village."

"No..." Poppy struggled for air, rising her hands to her mouth.

"Everybody run to the bunker, now!" Branch yelled, making everybody scream and run towards the exit. "Poppy," He placed both hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me carefully," She nodded, still numb with shock. "Get everybody inside and use the full lockdown button. I'll raise our defenses with the other trolls."

"No, Branch, you must get inside as well. Everybody must be locked inside." She cried in despair. Aspen was hurt, what else were they capable of? She was not going to let Branch lose his colors again, not when he had just become a full-fledged troll.

"We need people outside to activate the traps!" He protested.

"As your Queen..." She hated playing her queen card, but she didn't know what else to do to convince him. "I command you to stay in the bunker!"

"And as your consort, I must fight for you." He gave her a bruising, urgent kiss, but he only saw her shaking her head when he pulled back. He had to try a different approach: "Can you do as I say for once?" He snapped, "I've been preparing for this and I'll do so much better if I don't have to worry about you!" That hurt and it was supposed to. He said it to lower her barriers, to stun her into obedience. He could apologize later when everyone was safe again. He reached out, grabbing her tear stained face with both his hands looking into her eyes as if searching for her soul. "I love you, now please go."

Poppy nodded and bent down to help Aspen to his feet. She was not letting her friend behind. Breathing heavily, the taller troll leaned on her, with one arm around her shoulder.

"Poppy, you must hurry!" Smidge ran towards her, "everybody is freaking out."

"Go ahead, Smidge, it's the same password, get everybody inside. I'll be right there." Poppy said, groaning when Aspen weighed on her side. Supporting her friend with her hair as well, she was able to pick up the pace. They were the last ones to leave the party. She could hear trolls screaming ahead of her.

It was a good thing she was left behind because she saw some trolls hiding among flowers, another in a bush and others hid in their hair, not knowing what to do. She warned them that blending in didn't help this time. If the enemies were other trolls they could easily find them.

The word 'enemy' still sounded foreign to her. They were just indifferent trolls who needed help, right? Why would they hurt Aspen? It made no sense.

Poppy opened the bunker and helped Aspen down, making sure nobody was left behind. Her friends were all reunited in the lowest level and turned to stare at her when she appeared. Satin and Chenille helped her with the orange troll, taking him to the couch where he could breath. Poppy felt her shoulder hurt from the effort, but she pushed the feeling aside and went to the kitchen , returning shortly with a glass of water to offer her hurt friend.

"Everybody listen up," She said, looking around. "We don't have many rations left, the food stock is low so you must behave."

"Branch got a nice makeover if you ask me..." DJ Suki said with an approving nod. "... he did all that for you."

"So I could feel at home." Her heart felt heavy. Branch had made so much progress since their first adventure, she was so proud of him...

"We'll be quiet, queen Poppy." A child said.

"Queen Poppy..." Another child asked for a hug.

What was she doing? Her people were all frightened because of something they had no part of. What about Branch? He was up there, standing his ground to defend his Queen like so many other trolls. Even other kings and queens were out there, sending their troops to give their lives for her.

What was she supposed to do?

ooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooo

The moon was out again.

The luthier smiled tiredly. His blank eyes fixed into the fire right in front of him. Slowly standing up and cracking his bones, he lifted one wrinkled hand to brush the cape from his eyes, releasing his white hair from its confinement. With measured steps, he made his way towards the cave back entrance.

The sedated crowd started gathering underneath the stone where he had made his home, like every night for thousands of years. They would follow their instincts, attracted to the smallest hope of having a little happiness sparking inside them. He raised his hands, showing a silver violin and started playing a sweet, wordless song that seemed to sooth his subjects.

He looked back at the fire, while playing. He saw the Queen of Pop sitting down inside a fortress under the ground. His time was coming to an end and he needed her to play his Strings.

He returned to his song, feeling tired. Feeding them with happiness for so many years and never being successful to teach them how to find it inside themselves. No matter how hard he tried, no song would ever touch their hearts. It was like drying himself to give water to an eternally thirsty crowd.

He needed the Happiest Soul to take his place.

And she was on her way to meet him.

What an honor.

ooooooooOOOooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooOOOoooooo

Poppy locked herself in the bathroom for about half an hour. She couldn't think straight with all the trolls talking around her. She stared at herself in the mirror, splashing her face, removing the excess of eyeliner. It was driving her nuts that she hadn't heard anything from the surface for hours. Everything seemed oddly quiet.

Her heart felt heavy, like someone was squeezing it. She had already made her decision. She had to go to the gray tribe, introduce herself and demand to talk to their leader. She couldn't let anyone else get hurt. She was their target, so she had to remove herself from Pop Village.

"Are you in there, Poppy?" She heard Smidge knocking on the door. She fought back her tears. Poor Smidge having her wedding night ruined because of her.

"I'll be out in a minute." Poppy answered, staring back at the mirror. Nobody could know she had been crying. The redness in her eyes was under control and the trembling subsided. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

Smidge stood there with a relentless look and arms crossed. Still in her wedding dress, she looked awesomely threatening .

"You're planning something and I don't like it." She said plain and simple.

"Smidge..." Poppy breathed out, putting her hands on her knees to talk to her friend eye-to-eye. "Everything is fine, I'm just wondering where I can place my troll gem so I won't freak anybody out." She hated lying to her best friend.

"Oh..." Smidge looked excited for a second. "I know, I can put it inside the safe room. I know the combination."

"Thank you!" She hugged her friend, a hug that lasted too long to be a simple 'thank you' hug. "I'm going to get some tools and I'll be right back..." She said, feeling her throat tightening with the untold truth. "... if Branch comes in... tell him I love him, please?"

Smidge was already excitedly opening the safe room when she realized what Poppy had said. It wasn't just plain weird, it also sounded like a goodbye. She put the heart-shaped, rainbow-colored gem on the first shelf and quickly closed the door again.

Milton was helping Aspen to sit up on the couch after Dr. Moonbloom patched him up when Smidge came inside, looking frantically for Poppy.

"What do you mean, Aspen?" She heard Dr. Moonbloom asking her patient. The orange troll had a hand on his head, trying to stop his mind from spinning.

"Are you okay?" Smidge asked, still searching for Poppy with her eyes.

"He said he got hurt falling from a tree." Milton explained, patting his back.

"I saw three gray trolls and came running to warn you. They didn't attack me, they were just walking around." He said, "I think I hit my head as well."

"There were just three gray trolls? Not an entire army?" Smidge felt something disintegrating inside her. Aspen looked lost and she jumped on Guy Diamond. "It's a trap!"

"What are you talking about, Smidge?"

"Where's Poppy?" She yelled, running around and scaring the younger kids in the process.

"Hmm... Smidge..." It was Biggie. He called quietly from the other room. Smidge and Guy Diamond ran towards him.

The three of them looked down to the floor where the Spaghetti Shaft's hatch was opened and Gary laid on the floor in full lockdown mode.

ooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooOOoooooo

Hours passed and Branch stood on top of the tree unmoving like he had been since he ordered everyone to go inside the Bunker. The trolls looked tired and some even sat down, going into whispered conversations and others playing puzzles in silence. It just didn't feel right. The gray tribe should have been there hours ago.

"Branch..." Dennis approached him, rubbing his sleepily eyes. "I don't think they are coming for our Queen." They had just captured three gray trolls, who stared down at them, hanging from the net on top of a tree. They didn't even make an effort to free themselves.

"Shouldn't we just use those sensors you talked about?" Klaus Von Frousting joined the conversation, obviously tired as well.

Branch sighed in frustration. They were right. Everybody should rest because when the real attack came they would be ready to do their best. He felt like he had failed somehow, he had been on edge for a real battle, to end everything tonight so he could resume his life with Poppy.... their married life.

"All right, we rest in turns." Branch announced. "Dennis, take the first shift. I'll check how things are in the Bunker and I'll be back in two hours."

He heard his army breathing in relief and for a moment he wondered if this whole battle thing was too much for happy creatures like them. If the situation prolonged he doubted he could keep them focused on the defense mission. He started to wonder if an attack was the best strategy to go for, just like Prince D had suggested.

Branch would think about that later, because at the moment he just wanted to see Poppy, to hug and kiss her and reassure her that everything was all right. He stepped on the trapdoor, but it didn't move. Frowning, he tapped his foot and still nothing happened. They had gone into full lockdown. Smart girl, she did exactly what he told her to. Picking the keys from his pockets, he lowered the system and made the elevator work again.

Smidge, Guy and Biggie were in the middle of the room, shouting frantically at each other, making all other trolls nervously pace around.

"What's going on?" Branch asked, stepping out of the elevator. He looked around, searching for Poppy's pink hair.

"Branch..." Biggie started saying, trying to find the best words to come out with the truth, but anxiously Smidge jumped in front of him.

"OHMYGUH, Branch, she ran!" She cried hysterically. Branch felt like he had dropped several feet at the Big Squeeze. "She's walking straight into a trap!"

"How did she leave without anybody noticing?" Branch asked angrily. They had one job and it was to keep an eye on Poppy. He feared sooner or later she would figure out that the most honorable thing to do was to get separated from everyone to keep them safe.

They pointed at the Spaghetti Shaft and Branch was as dumbfounded as everyone else. He had shown her the way out of the maze just once and she already knew how to walk through it?!

"I don't know how she found the way out." Guy Diamond said, looking down at the maze.

Smidge walked inside the room with Poppy's rainbow colored troll gem and gave it to Branch. He didn't have to ask her what it meant. It was a clear goodbye. He knew just then that she wasn't just going to hide away from everyone, she was going to face the gray trolls on her own.

Three gray trolls had been sent to mislead him, to play with their emotions to the point of separating the Queen from her tribe. Three gray trolls had done the damage. He felt his blood bubble in anger. Someone wanted them to be distracted to extract her from the village... and they all fell for it.

"Guy, Biggie..." Branch called, holding Poppy's gem firmly on his hands. "Get the search team and go to Lonesome Flats. Wait for my signal to attack the gray tribe."

"Are we going to battle them?" Biggie sounded frightened.

"If they harm Poppy, so help me Hair..."

**A/N - There was some Little Prince inspiration right there in the beginning, just to give the credits :) The final battle is finally here. See you next chapter and thank you again!**


	15. Smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - So, this time I'm just posting and running as fast as I can. The song I used to be The Music of Her Heart has various versions, but I like to think Poppy' song similar to Barbra Streisand's, just in case you're curious how I pictured it playing out. I also quoted Charles Chaplin a few times... so there. Thank you so much for reading this far.

Poppy pushed her feelings away and locked them inside an imaginary wooden chest. The only way for her to go through with the music that could touch the gray tribe's heart was if she was feeling happy deep inside her bones. Her very soul had to be vibrant and willing. 

At first she had been scared. When she hopped on Monique and discreetly flew away from Pop Village, she was afraid she'd break Branch's heart. If something happened to her... he'd have to know she didn't do it because she didn't love him, but because it was her duty, as Queen. 

For a second, she looked up at the dark sky. She pretended she was going for a great adventure on her own, taking the wind as her ship and the stars as her guide. She'd trust her instincts, she'd trust the music that continuously kept whispering its magic into her heart.

Searching, she followed the road she remembered from the map. The outskirts of Lonesome Flats, beyond the river, seemed too quiet. She couldn't see anything moving and the peaceful Country Village in the distance seemed to be enjoying a quiet night with the sound of crickets.

"Can you see anything, Monique?" The critter didn't answer her, as expected, but kept flying towards the hills where the gray tribe had been. Everything seemed oddly quiet. She was not going to be scared, she told herself. She had to go through with it and she had to succeed. Lives depended on her. It was her turn to be brave.

Closing her eyes, she remembered the first time she spotted Branch. The gray trolling had been getting wood and hid in a bush when she approached. She giggled, but her father got her before she could reach him. Then, she repeatedly tried to make him attend slumber parties, soirees, pranks, hugs and everything that she thought was important. Her heart warmed when she remembered he had kept all her invitations.

Her mind wandered to when she heard his beautiful voice for the first time, helping her get her colors back and finding his true ones in return. His eyes matched his hair beautifully. Their confession, their first kiss... their explorations, their intimate moments... the way he slowly became more courageous than she ever was and guided her into doing things both liked.

The song pounded in her heart, as if asking to be freed. She opened her eyes and saw that her skin was glowing brightly pink and the glittering sparkles engulfed her and Monique like a giant target in the middle of a shooting camp.

Pushing the song away in panic, she could see that the light diminished, helping her pass by discreetly again. She barely had time to breathe in relief when she felt eyes on her. Looking down, she realized she had been so lost in her thoughts that she was hovering above the gray valley and it was filled with gray trolls who looked up at her expectantly.

oooooooOOOooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo

Fern had been sitting down by the fire. He was at a safe distance from the road and his camp was on the top of the tallest tree, where he could watch any suspicious movement with his binoculars. Since he noticed gray trolls were the slow moving kind, he kept his eyes focused on the ground.

His mind replayed the last events. His heart still ached for Poppy and he wondered if one day he'd ever stop loving her. The first day she walked into the training complex he thought she was just another spoiled princess who would order him around. How wrong he had been.

She helped him clean the gym, she showed him how to play tag, she even showed him her beloved teddy bear. They had become good friends and slowly, he realized the friendship started fading, changing the way his heart beat when she was near. Then one day when she had returned to the village and came back without the braces and with a new hair style that he realized he had fallen for her.

She sneaked candies underneath the table while they were doing their homework, she laughed at his jokes and he treasured each Hug Time. He didn't know how to act around her. She just made him nervous. He didn't seem to catch her attention until it was their final Hair-Jitsu class. He wasn't good with words so he thought he would let actions speak for themselves and - in the dumbest move of his life - he tried to kiss her.

Maybe she didn't even think about romance when she had been there. Maybe she just blossomed to romantic feelings when Branch was already there to get the attention. He was glad he and Branch had cleared things up. He regretted punching the teal troll that badly, but he had gotten his share of damage as well. His jaw was still swollen and he had a dark bruise on his shoulder where he had been hit with a hair-ball-duken.

That day, when they both beat each other until their lungs burned, he told Branch the whole story and he heard his version. Poppy had never seen Fern as a possible match. They had faked a marriage to spare his mother's heart until they eventually got married for real.

A pink light got his attention from the sky and he quickly stood, holding his binoculars up. He could spot Poppy with her skin glowing like a light bulb. She dashed towards the gray tribe on the motorcycle critter she and Branch had travelled before. Why was she by herself?

He quickly fetched his backpack, searching for the radio. He didn't think he'd have to get it until now and he was so glad it still had batteries for a call.

"Branch? Are you there? Branch!"

ooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooo

The whole tribe stared up at her. A shiver ran through her spine in realization. It was a trap and she willingly played into it. She did something honorable and stupid; she was that predictable. Monique panicked, taking her by surprise. She tried to hold the critter, but her hand slipped. She tried to hold it with her hair, but it was too late. She fell in the middle of the valley.

She skinned her knees when she hit the ground. The slit in her dress had opened with the fall, making her legs hit the small stones unprotected. The air was knocked out of her lungs and she stayed down for a moment, trying to recompose herself. She heard steps approaching with crunching sounds.

It wasn't just one troll.

Poppy lifted her head and took in view before her: a wall of gray trolls closed in around her, silently and waiting. She spotted the rock troll they had lost in there. He looked as sad as the others, as if the will to live had been sucked out of him. Breathing echoed through her ears and the only bright sight was the white of their sad eyes, looking down at her.

"Now, now... if you touch them you won't be able to perform." She felt someone whispering in her ears and covering her up with a black cape. A hand behind her back urged her forward and, in amazement, she watched as the gray trolls cleared the way letting her walk with her savior to where he meant to take her.

"Who are you?" She asked as soon as her feet touched the safe ground in the cave.

"You have something that belongs to me." He grinned. "We have a lot to talk about." He stepped forward, allowing her to see his grayish wrinkled skin, his white eyes seemed lifeless at first impression, but it was very clear that he saw beyond the physical world, he could see what was inside her. His hair didn't look naturally white, instead, she could spot a few strands of faded colors.

He lifted a hand, pointing at her and motioning one single finger up. Poppy felt something pulling from inside her. It hurt and her sight faded. She felt like he was trying to gasp something inside her very soul, making her heart burn as if it was cutting itself open. In her pain induced haze, she looked down to make sure it wasn't actually a physical pain.

She fell on the ground by his feet and the Luthier lowered his hand. He was very surprised. The Strings had merged with her own Happiness. He had taken too long to find her. It was impossible to detach one from another. He knelt down and brushed the pink braid out of her face. It was no wonder they had merged. 

He could taste it. 

She was indeed the Happiest troll.

ooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooo

Branch couldn't believe how many trolls had shown up when he sent the red alert. The mass of colorful mixed tribes stood still, waiting for his command to act on the rehearsed strategy. He felt like running crazily into the gray tribe until he found her, but Poppy taught him to slow down, he had to act cool and see the moment when he could smartly attack.

Fern stood by his side, looking a little lost. They had barely talked after the call. Fern saw when Poppy was taken inside the cave by the white troll with the cape, but he couldn't approach her. The gray trolls were too many and even if they looked slow, if they teamed up they could get him. It wasn't a smart move to just go in there by himself.

Country, Techno, Funk, Classical, Pop and Rock trolls reunited under Branch's orders to do what they had never done before: engage in battle. When they got together like that, it was possible to outnumber the gray trolls, so the best approach was to circle the valley in a larger group, giving backup to a smaller one that had been training to fight properly to infiltrate and extract Poppy from the cave.

Delta had finished setting a nursing camp with soup, good music and a lot of candies. If anyone returned with gray spots, she'd be ready to cheer them back into their colors.

"Listen, I know I'm supposed to stay behind because I can't fight like you guys and all that..." Barb had her arms crossed, trying to act her usual way, but the worry was transparent in her voice. Branch turned to her, still feeling bitter. "But I know the luthier and I've talked to him, maybe a friendly face would help?"

"Your face is far from friendly..." Branch retorted, "You don't know how to follow orders..."

"Hey, Branch, maybe she'd help..." Guy Diamond tried to ease the tense atmosphere.

"Your reckless attitude is what got us into this mess in the first place!" Branch raised his voice, and Barb picked up her guitar, ready to strike with some loud music.

"Guess what, boy-toy," She dangerously approached him. "I have some of the Strings, too and I can feel a whole deal of what is going on in there."

That shocked everybody into silence. Barb pretended the tension wasn't affecting her, but all eyes turning to her certainly made her feel some sweat damping her ripped shirt.

"And you haven't mentioned it before, because...?" It was Riff who said that, that traitor.

"It doesn't matter!" She yelled, kicking some tumbleweed in frustration (it cried 'ouch'). "The thing here is: I can feel her. I know when she's close. I can be your navigator or something."

"I think it can't be hard to spot a glowing pink troll in a mass of grayness." Branch was still unconvinced.

"If she' still pink." Fern said, putting his hands on his hip bone. That shut Branch up and made Barb even more angry.

"She's pink and she's growing stronger." Barb closed her eyes, as if trying to concentrate. "And she's determined to end this tonight."

ooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooo

Poppy woke up with a splitting headache. Her arms felt cold and the air around her was humid, making her shiver and curl trying to warm up. When she moved, she felt the grass softening the hard ground underneath her and her eyes shot open. It was bright, but there was no source of light other than .... herself? She looked at her arms, realizing she was literally glowing. She could see walls around her, but they weren't cold dark walls. They were beautifully adorned with green vines and colored flowers. It was beautiful as far as her eye could see. It looked like a round green cell. There were gray bars and darkness outside.

Imprisoned? How did she manage to get locked up for the third time in less than a month? She slowly stood up, realizing that if she moved too fast her head would hurt even more. Her knees stung and her dress was stained with blood. Her heart broke at the sight. Satin and Chenille had worked so hard to design such a perfect dress and she ruined it.

"You're the happiest troll I've ever seen." The luthier's voice came from behind her and Poppy quickly shoved her doubts away, standing up with her back straight and getting prepared to fight. "I'm sorry you passed out. I had to try to take them out."

"Where am I?" She demanded answers, closing her hands into fists, ready to face the gray trolls' leader. He had locked himself in the garden with her. His serene face looked at her unimpressed.

"This is a clearing inside the cave." He smiled friendly and pointed above. Poppy looked up and saw the stars shining like diamond dots. "It's the only place sunlight comes in and life blooms..."

"I thought you lived in a cold dark cave." Poppy said, still suspicious.

"I'm not a creepy troll, I love to let in some light, especially in the mornings so I can welcome a bright new day." Poppy took a step back. That guy was... "I fight to sparkle my own happiness every day, just to have them drained by night. I'm tired."

Poppy wanted to ask so many questions. She wasn't feeling threatened by the gray leader anymore. She almost felt sorry for him. He seemed to fight so hard to be happy. She felt herself being invaded by an echo of exhaustion and sat down. Was she feeling what he was feeling?

"Who are you... really?" She asked, already knowing the answer. She wanted him to say it. Miss Guffin had been the one to find him in the books, but it was too much to believe. It had been thousands of years... when he didn't say anything she did it herself. "You're the Strings Maker. The Rainbow Troll."

"To forge Six Strings was a naive idea to begin with." He said, not surprised that she had figured it out. "To think I could sum all music in just six styles. When I tried to get them back they had been separated and neutralized." Poppy connected the dots herself. If he had to keep singing to the gray trolls every night he would never be able to leave in a quest to get the strings back, until Barb showed up and did the job for him. "At first I thought I needed them back to sing the song myself..." He reached out a hand and touched her chin, "Until you absorbed them. Then I realized it was never meant to be me."

"What do you mean?" Poppy whispered, taking a step back from his hand.

"I'm the Strings Maker... and you are the Strings Keeper. You have to take my place and sing for them. I'm passing the vow to you."

"Take your vow? As in... sing until they find a song that makes them Happy?" Poppy didn't know if she should tell him she had the fully composed Happy Song in her heart and she knew what she had to do. But he just grinned at her, as if he knew what she was hiding.

"I've had so many songs... I was so sure each one of them would end their misery. But I was always wrong. You see... despair is a narcotic. It lulls the mind into indifference. They are so desperate for happiness..."

"I can get them to be happy!" Poppy said, grabbing the bars, trying to open the cell and do what she had to at once.

"So... will you take my place?" The luthier smiled again, but this time, it was a hint of amusement.

"For how long?" The Pop Queen was concerned about the village. If she stayed there with her infinite stock of Happiness then...

"My dear... would you like to live forever?"

ooooooooOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOOooooooooooooOOOooooo

Branch watched the immensity of the gray tribe from behind a rock. He was prepared for battle, having Funk and Country trolls just following his command on the right, and Techno and Classical securing the perimeter with the Snack Pack. They all watched from between trees under the outskirts of the hill, waiting for any sign to fly on their critters and attack. Fern was ready, with a team at the base of the cave, having the Rockers to support his offensive. Barb stood by Branch' side, having agreed to go inside the cave together while the others gave them backup.

But it wasn't supposed to go that way. Branch wasn't prepared to see soulless trolls roaming around. He thought he would see dangerous, angry, happiness-suckers monsters instead. The kind of trolls he wasn't going to hold back. But they all seemed like the gray child at the queen complex.

With a warning, he motioned for everyone to stand still and wait for his signal. He used his hair to hop from stone to stone until he jumped to the cave's entrance, taking a breathless queen of rock with him.

"Man, don't jump like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Barb said, putting her hand to stop her racing heart.

"Where is she?" Branch asked, not paying attention to her protests. Barb closed her eyes and felt a small echo of happiness and fright coming from far ahead.

"We're going to have to cross the cave to the other side." She explained, adjusting the guitar on her back and taking the lead. Branch followed quietly behind.

ooooooooooooooooOOOOoooooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooo

"Once you step on the stage and sing, my vow will be transferred to you." The Strings Maker explained, opening the door.

"Wait, I need to know something first." Poppy asked, coming out with some difficulty. Her knees hurt badly, she wished she could hold on to something. "How did you forge the Strings out of your Happiness?"

"I think you know the answer to that. You have been playing them for a while, haven't you?" He smiled serenely again. "I think what you really mean is: how do you detach them from your own Happiness?"

Poppy frowned. Indeed, she knew what she had to do. It had been so unfair, only Six Strings to represent all kinds of music. Everyone deserved a piece of Strings. Everyone deserved the power to create their own rhythms. Everyone deserved to pour their souls out in melody.

"The answer to that is: You can't. I'm sorry." He stopped walking, looking down at her, shutting his eyes tightly, as if remembering what he had been through for so many years. He looked back, reaching the back opening of the cave, to where a staircase led straight to the center of the stone stage.

"There's this child that I met." Poppy started. "She seems to absorb happiness and colors from everything."

"That's how they are." The white troll explained, raising a wrinkled hand at her. "I used to be so colorful and they drained me into this." That scared Poppy. If she got drained from her Happiness then... The luthier gave her one sympathetic smile and looked behind them. "It's time to say goodbye."

She heard noises echoing in the dark. Heavy breathing and running. Trolls were coming her way. For a second she thought it was a rescue mission and panicked. It was not what she needed at the moment. She had to sing safely for the crowd out there. Her heart beat with a mix of relief and desperation, coated with love when Branch came into view with Barb right behind him. 

But the luthier didn't give her time to talk to Barb. He moved his hand and Barb immediately fell on the floor, holding her head as if it burned. It scared Poppy. What was he doing to her?

"She held the remains of the Strings." He commented, "But she never was able to listen to them. Just echoes from us."

Branch looked down at Barb, and kneeled down to put a hand on her back, just to have it shoved away. The rock queen squirmed in agony. He saw as brownish dust came out of her and slowly disappeared in the air. She stopped screaming, but still held her head, shaking and curling in a ball.

Poppy took her chance to run towards her husband. She wasn't going to run away, after all she had given the luthier her word, so she allowed herself to breathe love one last time. Branch engulfed her in a tight hug, his heart breaking when he saw her wounded knees and her dirty face. It was a hug that was meant for their souls to connect, to exchange one last meaningful touch.

"I have a team prepared to extract us." He whispered in her ear and she shut her eyes, burying her nose on his neck, taking in all the memories of his natural smell she could.

"I want you to take Barb and go." Poppy whispered back. He didn't answer her. His tight grip on her upper arms made clear his protest. He would force her to go with him if he had to. He was not going to trust her with whatever she was planning. Last time she tried to do things on her own she had been eaten about three times and would have died if he wasn't there. "I need you to rescue me in a different way. You have to remember how to sparkle happiness even when I'm not there."

"What the hair, Poppy!" He almost shouted. "This is not goodbye!"

And his heart broke when she took a step back, holding him at arm length. She smiled and half laughed, making that little sound he loved. She didn't seem scared at all. Actually, she looked like she had accepted whatever fate was coming her way. She cocked her head and raised her shoulders. So adorable and so misplaced.

"I haven't given up, yet." She said in a low voice, realizing the luthier was coming closer. "If the knock knock me over I'll get back up again."

"This way, Queen." The Strings Maker said, motioning for the staircase.

"Poppy..." Branch picked her gem from his hair, looking at it with a heavy heart. The colors had completely mixed. It was mostly pink, but with rainbow reflexes. He was afraid of what that meant. As she walked away from him, he rightly feared her own Happiness had fully merged with the Strings. If they became one he didn't know how she could possibly remove the Strings without giving away a part - or maybe all - of herself.

For once, doing what he was told to, he helped Barb out of the cave in the opposite direction. He would do it her way. They would team up to succeed. A few Funk Trolls were flying on their hoverboards next to Rock Trolls and they all quickly came to Branch when they spotted him.

"Barb?"

"Is she ok?"

"Where's Queen Poppy?"

"We need to get ready." Branch raised to his feet as soon as the Rock Trolls picked a dizzy Barb from his shoulders. "I want you guys to circle the full perimeter. Poppy is planning something and we must be prepared to rescue her."

The buzzing sound of lights turning on made them turn their attention to the events beyond the hills. Prince D helped Branch to jump on his hoverboard and flew them to the top where they could see the gray crowd on the valley below. Other trolls did the same, discreetly rising in their critters and positioning themselves around the wall that circled the tribe.

Fern stood with his team in the front row. He saw Poppy nervously climbing down the dark staircase, holding her hands in front of her chest. He heard movement behind him and realized the mass of gray trolls were moving forward. If it was to listen to a song or to climb down the stage and attack he couldn't know.

"Branch, we have to do something." Fern whispered urgently into the radio.

"Just stand your ground, Fern." He heard Branch saying, but he didn't agree with him.

"Guys, we're on our own." Fern said to his team. They all looked lost, but ready to follow him. "Attack!"

From where he stood, Branch saw Fern going rogue. He ran towards the mass of gray trolls, punching his way through them, trying to get them to back away, but that only seemed to make them try to get closer. Branch panicked. Fern's arms were going gray and so were the other troll's that followed him.

"Guys, we need to stop Fern." Branch shouted, jumping to a lower level where he could reach the body-builder.

Branch felt his arm being brushed by a gray troll. He looked at the mark, seeing his teal skin get stained with grayness. The gray trolls were too anxious to listen to the song Poppy was going to sing. They didn't care if they had to fight their way to her. He saw Fern being mostly stained in the back and his will to fight diminished. His punches weren't as effective as before. Branch had to think fast.

"Form a hair-icade!" He shouted and the trolls that followed him did as commanded. Fern, his team and Branch's own extraction team braided their hairs, forming a line that wouldn't let the gray trolls pass towards the stage.

Branch felt another stain of gray on his leg.

Poppy saw the fight from where she stood, terrified. Her friends were going gray. They were trying to protect her and were getting their colors absorbed in the process. A buzzing sound met her ears when she spotted Branch. He stood there with gray arms and legs, holding the anxious spectators.

She was not going to let him go gray again. She was going to give everything she had to finish that stupid battle once for all. As if knowing she could order the environment around her, she snapped her fingers.

One single spotlight illuminated the pink queen, who slowly walked to the middle of a naturally carved stage. The acoustic was so perfect that Branch could hear Poppy nervous - wheezing - breathing from where he stood. As much he wanted to admire the excellent job of ancient trolls theater, his safety nerd side pointed out how vulnerable she was standing there, which made him hold his hair tighter.

The Maker stood behind Poppy who closed her eyes in the way she usually did to calm her racing heart and concentrate on what she was supposed to do.

"Everyone..." The Maker announced, making every single troll watching go silent. Branch felt the pressure around him loosen up. "... I'm passing my vow to the Strings Keeper. May she give you happiness for the next thousands years."

Vow? Branch nearly panicked. Was that guy the Rainbow Troll Miss Guffin had talked about? The one who forged the Strings out of his own Happiness? Poppy couldn't take his place! She had a kingdom! She couldn't stay there!

The sound of rhythmic breathing seemed insane. How could all of them breathe like that? It was like they were a mass of empty vessels waiting to be filled up with life. For so many years they couldn't connect themselves to a song, they couldn't find joy in singing and dancing because they had been sung empty notes, like mechanical sounds reproduced in rhythm, but without a heart, without essence or without a soul.

Making friends was her special talent. Smiles were her jam. She knew she could do it. She could make them feel truly Happy. She took a deep breath and freed the music composed with her heart:

_ " Smile..." _

She closed her eyes and put a hand in her heart, feeling the fluttering of the glittering Strings sparkles.

_ "... though your heart is aching" _

She knew they started coming out, revealing themselves to the crowd who gasped, surprised and silently, echoing around her. She gave her all in the song, like she did when she was with her loved one. She surrendered and connected her energy to theirs.

She felt her body tingling when the memory of herself and Branch lying together whispering sweet nothings came to surface. Her Happiest moment happened on one of those days when she noticed that their souls smiled to one another when they slowed down, when they gave into smoothness, allowed each other to show their vulnerabilities and discovered each inch of each others' bodies.

_ "Smile, even though it's breaking _

_ When there are clouds in the sky, _

_ you get by if you smile" _

Her own heart started beating wildly inside her ribcage, as if it was agreeing that she had nailed reading the song that was whispered to her in the secret beats. They pulsed as if saying that they needed to change. She was the only one who could understand their language now and if that's what they wanted, she'd donate all of herself to make it happen.

She felt the Luthier moving around her, raising his arms and trying to touch the dust. If once the Strings had been his Happiness, they didn't belong to him anymore. They had merged with hers, they had become one and so they understood, through her heart, that being Six wasn't good enough.

_ "Through your fears and sorrow, smile _

_ And maybe tomorrow _

_ you'll see the sun come shining through for you" _

Branch wanted to attack. He wanted to interrupt the song before it even started, but once he heard Poppy' soft voice a familiar Happiness touched his heart, starting from his toes. He looked around and saw as all the trolls that had been fighting relaxed and gave into the vibe.

He tried to fight himself to stay focused on the Luthier, standing behind the pink queen. He didn't know how Poppy was doing it, but he couldn't help but admire how beautifully she played with the Strings.

_ "Light up your face with gladness _

_ Hide every trace of sadness, _

_ although a tear may be ever so near _

_ That's the time you must keep on trying _

_ Smile, what's the use of crying _

_ You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile" _

She felt a pull in her heart and opened her eyes. The remaining of the Strings had come out. They danced around her in a blinding vortex of red, orange, purple, blue, yellow and pink. Slowly, the colors separated themselves in dense stripes, standing in front of her like a barrier. She didn't look behind her where their Maker seemed paralyzed by the sight, not believing that she had done, in one song, what he had tried to do for thousands of years.

Each stripe slowly came together, restoring each String to its original form. The white troll smiled as he looked down at his wrinkled hands slowly fading away. The Queen had stepped into his shoes and was fulfilling the promise to make the tribe happy in his place. He was being freed of his vow.

He felt... relieved.

_ "That's the time you must keep on trying _

_ Smile, what's the use of crying _

_ You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile" _

The Strings braided themselves, hovering above Poppy, who kept her eyes closed, with sweat trailing down her forehead as if singing was painful. The braid united in one single String just before exploding in a blinding light that made the night turn day and colors quickly started showering each gray hair, turning them lively, bright and full of joy.

Branch saw a small light dot floating his way, like thousands of others, they appeared to be falling stars, each coming directly to land in one troll's heart in front of their chests. His own light felt warm, happy and reassuring. He looked down at his String glitter. It shone with the memory of their first hug.

_ "Smile" _

Smiles, smiles everywhere. Branch could barely contain himself. Poppy had done it. She had shared her Happiness with all of the trolls, blossoming their own. Each bright glitter was a memory, a smile, a hug, a joke, a moment she had lived.

_ "Just Smile..." _

He jumped from where he had been standing, skating his way through the stones. He was dying to scoop her up in his arms and give her the sweetest victory kiss. She stood engulfed by the light, he could barely see her in the middle of the stage, but he ran to her, vibrantly seeing the former gray trolls admiring their new colors. Looking up, he saw his team hugging each other as the first rays of sunlight cleared the sky in blue, purple and orange tones. He was so Happy he could scream. It was finally over.

The laugher, the joy, the chattering noises quieted down as soon as he stepped on the stage. The light faded out as he approached. Behind Poppy he could see the Luthier's dark clothes on the ground, as if his body had dissolved in thin air. He took another step towards her and finally she started coming into view. A sob caught on his throat. Her beautiful foot was visible from under her lavender dress.

It was gray.

Walking slowly, he was able to see the once pink queen, falling unconscious on the ground with a heavy thud before he could run to her and break the impact.

He dashed towards her, kneeling down and rising her halfway into his lap in a hug that wasn't responded to. Her gray skin felt oddly familiar, but what made him panic was her white hair. He begged for her to wake up, he kissed and squeezed her, but she didn't move. As he tried to shake her he felt something moving in his own hair. With a tiny hope, he reached for her gem and broke down in an anguished cry when he saw it.

Her heart shaped gem was now nothing more than an empty glass.


	16. Epilogue

Miss Guffin watched the colored girl reading a scrapbook about the life of great Kings and Queens in all of Troll Kingdom. The little former-gray child now sparked orange and green tones and had a fire of curiosity in her eyes. With her happiness came a hunger for learning and the mentor revived the memories of teaching young girls and boys into fine ladies and gentletrolls. Her love for teaching made her reopen the school, taking in all students who were interested in learning etiquette.

Fern was also having a good time with his gym. Many trolls got interested in bodybuilding after he trained them for Branch's army. Most of the students were girls who seemed more interested in chatting with him between series than actually working out, but he made sure everyone got the results they wanted. In a way, his heart would always blame himself for losing his first love, realizing he couldn't apologize his way to win her back. Maybe one day another troll would be interesting enough to get his attention.

Monique ate the green grass outside the cabin door. It was summer already and the snow had thinned out, giving a chance for the plants to grow and the flowers to bloom. The cherry tree had fully blossomed, painting the landscape with light pink tones. Other critters chirped and buzzed, flying around looking for mates.

From the top window of the two story cabin, it was possible to see two trolls lying down tangled in one another. The teal one would caress the gray one's skin from underneath the sheets. Her eyes watched him silently; she was near him physically, but her mind was half a world away.

Branch inhaled, feeling his lungs failing the long intake of breath. They had been like that for months, she would move monotonously, she would walk around, she'd eat, she'd watch the sunset, but it was lifeless. She'd kiss him, she'd hug him, but he couldn't cross that universe that separated them to make her find herself back. Her kisses didn't have the same taste, her hugs lacked warmth, as if he was hugging her empty gem glass.

He wondered if that was how she felt when she tried to cheer him up during his gray years. If she felt like struggling in a losing battle, but never giving up because he had mattered that much. He wasn't going to give up on her, either. She had put up with him for more than twenty years and she never stopped believing he'd come around.

Her hair was the color of the stars. Still smooth and warm to touch, it still smelled like strawberries, which made him miss the pink even more. He had his breath constantly taken away because she still was stunningly beautiful; so beautiful that he couldn't help but pull her in sweet and gentle embraces.

Miss Guffin kept a journal of her progress. She was sure somehow Branch would be able to restore Poppy's colors. Poppy proved she had her memories with her, but they were void sequential images that didn't sparkle emotions. The Queen was there, but she couldn't rule. Branch had promised to go back to Pop Village only when she had fully recovered. Happiness, as same as their music, came from their cultures, their experiences and their lives and when she gave everything with the Strings, nothing remained.

And so he continuously sang for her, using it as a hook that he would throw into the vastness of her soul and fish her back; the mentor encouraged him to give her as much love and appreciation as he could. He even scrapbooked for her, always keeping an eye on the gem, waiting for the smallest sparkle of Happiness to appear. She needed to learn how to be happy again. She needed new Happy Moments. She needed something new.

He threw the blankets away and stood up, looking at her small and frail form in yellow pajamas. It was almost dinner time and he wanted to show her he had learned how to cook a curry risotto with the help of Miss Guffin's recipe book, but before that, he went to the bathroom and filled the tub for her.

If it was a mood booster, like she had previously said, he would soak her in every hour if he had to. She had been in the same position he had left her, only her eyes moved when he approached. He offered her a warm smile and reached out his hand. She held his with her own, intertwining their fingers. The first time she responded to his hand-offering he almost broke down crying. It had been a small victory, as if he could understand she was getting back, working her way out of her unresponsive stupor. This time, with a small pull, she stood up on her own and followed him to the bathroom.

He helped her out of her clothes and held her firmly as she slowly sat down, leaning her head back on a rolled towel. He sat down on a small stool, next to her, diving his hands in the bubbles, continually caressing her. He felt like singing.

_ "You'll never know what you've done for me _

_ What your faith in me has done for my soul _

_ You'll never know the gift you've given me _

_ I'll carry it with me yeah, yeah" _

Her hand squeezed his and he felt his heart gradually starting to race. Her eyes looked up from the bubbles and focused exclusively on him, as if she was battling herself to understand what he was trying to say.

_ "You've opened my eyes _

_ You've opened the door _

_ To something I've never known before _

_ And your love (love) _

_ Is the music of my heart" _

As if she was watching him through the looking glass, she seemed to be fighting her way out of her own world to shatter freely into his embrace. Her eyes had a little bit more of shine and he gasped in surprise when she moved to circle her arms around him and bring his face down to a promising kiss. She was slowly coming back to him.

As her gentle lips moved against his, he could identify the small movements and the shift she used to signal that she wanted him. He didn't dare touch her that way since it all happened. It didn't feel right, but a faint grip on his hair made him understand that she was asking to be loved.

**XX-XX**

Slowly he succumbed into their primal dance, trembling with the anticipation of going somewhere they only had visited together. The memories of their joined bodies slowly left the past and became present when she touched him like that and when he whispered how much he loved her in her ears.

He had missed sliding his hands down the curve of her back, he had missed how he could bury his nose in her hair and feel fully surrounded by her; happy and cozy. He felt her own heart picking up pace, but unlike he had hoped, he didn't hear her gasping his name, he didn't feel her trembling with ecstasy like she used to.

He tried to distance himself from her, but she stopped him without words, just hooking her ankles on his back, urging him to keep going. It didn't feel right that he could enjoy this while she couldn't... but at the same time it was so perfect being with her again that he couldn't help himself and did exactly what she wordlessly asked him to.

**XX-XX**

He realized the floor was cold against his skin when he came back to himself. He held her close, tears falling and the sobs were choking him. He felt so guilty, holding her like that, with naked bodies finding comfort in each other. He felt her hands tightening on his hair.

"Come back to me, love." He pressed his face against her neck, holding her so strongly that he feared he would bruise her. "Please, come back to me."

ooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooo

More weeks passed by and Branch saw Poppy sipping on her hot cappuccino from the window, looking at the horizon in the direction Pop Village was. He knew she missed home. He returned to his vegetable garden, picking up fresh tomatoes so he could cook a special sauce for dinner.

He was really good at gardening. The peaches he had been growing looked almost ready to be picked. Maybe they could eat them when autumn made its way to the mountains.

Branch went to the kitchen and opened the recipe book. He added flour, eggs, salt, water and everything needed to get a perfect dough. He remembered Poppy working in the kitchen the first day they had been in that cabin. His goal was to cook a fettuccini as good as hers. The stripes looked pretty much like the ones he remembered and he gently placed them in the boiling water, turning his attention to the tomato sauce. He cheered inside, knowing that this time he would probably get it right.

He wasn't the best at placing the dishes beautifully as she did. His plates looked messy and he always had to fix them to look more appetizing. This time, though, the smell could speak for itself. He had nailed it. Happily, he climbed up the stairs to fetch Poppy and stopped on his tracks when he saw the cold mug on her nightstand and the empty room.

He opened the door to the other room, but it was the same it had been since they arrived, there was no sign that she had been there. He knocked on the bathroom’s door and it opened with no hint of her white hair anywhere.

His heart started tightening. She had never left the cabin before. Had she walked to Miss Guffin by herself? He hurried outside, but stopped when he saw Monique staring at something behind the cabin. Instead of taking the path connecting to the mentor's, he slowly walked around the wooden structure, passing the gym and the critter shelter. Monique was looking at something on top of the hill where he had found her that fateful night when she had almost frozen to death.

Branch stumbled on a few rocks, but ran up, trusting the critter to have hinted him the right place to find his beloved. 

When he finally reached the top he fell on his knees. 

Poppy was sitting there on the green grass, her back turned to him and her hair down. Her PINK hair down. His knees were wobbly. He wanted to run to her, to hold her and kiss her until he believed she had really returned to him, but he was shaking so badly he could barely stand.

She heard him moving as he tried to recompose himself and she turned her head to him before turning back to where she had been previously looking. Like a little kid, he crawled his way to her, quietly and tentatively approaching, testing if she was fully herself. It was when he saw it. She was sitting cross legged, holding a pink and blue egg on her lap.

He forgot how to breathe. He wanted to say something. He wanted to show her how much he loved her, but his mouth was mute and his chest was filling up with joy. A shine came from his hair and with his hands - hands that didn't seem like they were his - he picked the heart shaped gem that he kept with him all times. It sparked with a white blinding light. He lifted his head to see her pink face again. Her glitter freckles never before looked so bright.

She leaned her head back and looked up to the sky before meeting his gaze with hers. And then, after long torturous months...

... she smiled.

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I hope you like the ending! Here goes a HUGE thanks to incredibly talented TheBroppyTrain. She's been wonderfully drawing fanarts for many fanfics, this one included. Check her pages for them, because they are BREATHTAKING. 
> 
> I'm sorry for getting you guys on the edge so many times during this fanfic, but it was a cool ride, wasn't it? I'm sorry for not answering comments, reviews and other inboxes I've got, but I didn't want to ruin the ending. I have a big mouth and I was afraid I'd give it away. I'm opening my Instagram for questions in case you still are curious about anything. (@girl_in_blue_fic)
> 
> And I'm proud to announce next week I'll start posting my new fanfic "We Will Rock You.", it's a Branch x Poppy x Rock Branch triangle. So... if you're up for it, I'll see you there. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, commenting etc. etc. You guys are the best! 
> 
> xoxo
> 
> Girl in Blue


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